-  * 


, 


MM) 


GEN.    W.    B.    FRANKLIN. 


CAPT.    JOSIAH    PORTER. 


THE   STORY 


OF    THE 


FIRST  MASSACHUSETTS 


LIGHT   BATTERY, 


ATTACHED  TO  THE  SIXTH  ARMY  CORPS. 


A   GLANCE  AT   EVENTS   IN   THE  ARMIES   OF   THE    POTOMAC   AND   SHEN- 

ANDOAH,    FROM    THE    SUMMER    OF    1861    TO    THE 

AUTUMN    OF    1864. 


BY  A.  J.  BENNETT, 

PRIVATE,    FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY. 


BOSTON: 

PRESS    OF    DELAND    AND    BARTA. 
1886. 


f    MA 


C.OPYRIGHT 

1886 
BY  A.  J.  BENNETT. 


TO 

COMRADE    OTIS    S.    NEALE, 

LATE    GUNNER 

FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY, 

WHOSE    GENEROSITY,   TACT,    AND    ENERGY    HAVE   SIGNALLY    CONTRIBUTED 

TO   THE    SUCCESS   OF    OUR    ANNUAL   COMPANY    REUNIONS,    WHO    WAS    ONE    OF   THE 

FOREMOST    PROJECTORS    OF   THIS    HISTORY,   AND    WHO    HAS    GIVEN    TO 

THE    WORK,   FROM    ITS    INCEPTION,    SUBSTANTIAL   AID,  AND 

TO    ITS    AUTHOR    CONSTANT    ENCOURAGEMENT, 

THIS    WORK 

IS    AFFECTIONATELY    INSCRIBED. 

A.    J.    B. 


M181960 


PREFACE. 


THE  author  takes  this  earliest  opportunity,  to  gratefully 
acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to  Comrade  John  W.  Bell,  for 
valuable  material  contributed  by  him  to  the  first  and  last  chapters 
of  this  work  ;  to  Comrades  Bussey  and  Kenney,  for  interesting 
matter  furnished  ;  to  Comrades  S.  H.  Reynolds,  D.  W.  Ellis,  and 
others,  whose  active  sympathy  and  warm  interest  have  materially 
aided  him  ;  to  Gen.  H.  W.  Slocum,  whose  kind  letter  of  recogni 
tion  of  the  services  of  our  company  appears  in  this  volume ;  and 
to  Comrade  Keefe,  of  the  "Grand  Army  Record,"  for  the  favor 
able  notice  of  the  forthcoming  of  this  history. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PORTRAIT  OF  GEN.  W.  B.  FRANKLIN  . Frontispiece. 

PORTRAIT  OF  CAPT.  JOSIAH  PORTER    .........  ,,        „ 

FACSIMILE  LETTER  OF  GEN.  SLOCUM   .     .     .     .     .     .    .     .  Facing  page     17 

MAP  OF  THE  VIRGINIA  PENINSULA.    .........  „  „       35 

PORTRAIT  OF  GEN.  H.  W.  SLOCUM .  „  „       48 

SLOCUM'S     ARTILLERY     ENGAGED     WITH     HUGER'S     AT 

FRASER'S  FARM ....'.......  „  „        57 

SECTION  OF   FORTIFIED   CAMP   AT   WESTOVER   HEIGHTS, 

JAMES  RIVER „  ,,        64 

PORTRAIT  OF  GEN.  W.  F.  SMITH „  „       93 

PORTRAIT  OF  CAPT.  WM.  H.  MCCARTNEY „  „       98 

PORTRAIT  OF  GEN.  JNO.  SEDGWICK „  ,,      106 

MAPS    OF   EASTERN    VIRGINIA    AND    THE    VICINITY    OF 

GETTYSBURG „  „      121 

MAP:  FROM  BRANDY  STATION  TO  PETERSBURG  ....  „  ,,152 

THE  ARMY  CROSSING  THE  RAPIDAN „  „      149 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Pages. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  GEN.  W.  B.  FRANKLIN 9-10 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  GEN.  H.  W.  SLOCUM      .     -  .    .    .    .       11-12 
BATTERY  ROSTER *  ...       13-16 

CHAPTER   I. 

Camp  Cameron — Departure  for  the  Front — Sojourn  in  Washington  — 
Army  life  in  autumn  and  winter  of  1861  in  Fairfax  County,  Virginia 
—  To  Broad  Run  with  McDowell — Roster  of  Gen.  Franklin's  Divi 
sion  ....  17-30 

CHAPTER    II. 

Off  the  Peninsula  — Sojourn  at  Ship  Point  — Up  York  River—  West 
Point — Organization  of  the  Sixth  Corps  —  Up  the  Peninsula  — 
Artillery  duel  at  Mechanicsville  —  Roster  of  the  Sixth  Army  Corps 
in  Peninsula  campaign .  31-45 

CHAPTER    III. 

The  Seven  Days  Campaign —  Cross  the  Chickahominy  —  Sojourn  in 
the  swamp  —  Games'  Mill  —  Savage's  Station  —  Fraser's  Farm  or 
Charles  City  Cross  Roads — Malvern  Hill — Down  the  James  to 
Westover  —  Intrenching — Humors  of  the  camp — Comrades  answer 
the  "last  roll  call  "  —  Abraham  Lincoln  in  camp  . 46-66 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Confederate  northward  movement — Retreat  from  Westover  —  Em 
barkation  at  Hampton  Road  —  Arrival  at  Alexandria — Last  days 
of  Pope's  campaign 67-71 

CHAPTER   V. 

The  Maryland  campaign  of  1862  —  Along  the  route — Pleasant  Val 
ley —  South  Mountain  —  Antietam  —  Reminiscences  of  the  sojourn 
in  Maryland  after  the  battle  of  Antietam 72-84 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Return  to  the  "  Old  Dominion"  — Up  Loudon  Valley  — New  Balti 
more  —  McClellan  relieved  of  command  —  Grand  divisions  — 
Reminiscences  of  the  marches  and  halts  —  Stafford,  C.  H.  —  Belle 
Plain  —  Reminiscences 85-92 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   VII. 

The  Campaign  of  the  I3th  of  December,  1862  —  "Franklin's  Cross 
ing  "  —  Movements  of  the  left  grand  division  —  Topography  of 
the  region  which  was  occupied  by  the  Federal  left  and  Confederate 
right — The  engagement  of  the  First  and  Sixth  Corps  on  the  I3th 
of  December  —  The  "quiet  Sunday" — Night  retreat  —  Roster  of 
the  Sixth  Corps 93~97 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

• 

Winter  camp  at  White  Oak  Church  and  the  "  mud  march  "  —  The 
"darkest  hoars"  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  —  The  "Dead 
March"  —  Death  of  Comrade  Pooler  —  Evangelists  in  camp  — 
Reminiscences  of  the  period — The  Emancipation  Proclamation  — 
Capt.  McCartney  —  Recollections  of  the  "mud  march"  —  Gen. 
Burnside  is  relieved  of  command  at  his  own  request  —  Gen. 
Hooker  reorganizes  the  army  —  Preparations  for  an  advance  — 
Roster  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  December  13,  1862 98-105 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Marye's  Hill  —  Salem  Heights — Sunday  and  Monday,  3d  and  4th  of 
May,  1863  —  Return  to  White  Oak  Church  —  Third  crossing  of 
the  Rappahannock 106-114 

CHAPTER   X. 

Northward  movement  of-  both  armies  —  Accessions  from  the  Sixteenth 
New  York  — Wolf  Run  Shoal  —  Fairfax  Station  —  Bristow  Sta 
tion  —  Enter  Maryland  —  Change  of  army  commanders  —  Sixth 
Corps  at  Manchester  —  Memorable  march  of  the  Sixth  Corps  to 
Gettysburg  .  .  .  i  .  .  + 115-120 

CHAPTER   XL 

The  battle  of  the  2d  and  3d  of  July  —  The  position  of  the  Third 
Corps  —  Action  on  July  2  —  Participation  of  the  Fifth  and  Sixth  — 
Position  of  the  Second  and  Twelfth  Corps  —  Action  on  July  3  — 
Reminiscences 121-127 

CHAPTER   XII. 

From  Gettysburg  to  Brandy  Station —  March  to  Frederick  —  In  Cum 
berland  Valley  —  Return  to  Virginia  —  Warrenton — Sulphur 
Springs  —  Stone  House  Mountain  —  Reminiscences  —  Retreat  to 
Centreville  —  Race  between  the  two  Armies — Return  to  Warren- 
ton —  Reminiscences — Affair  at  Rappahannock  Station  —  Return 
to  Brandy  Station  —  Reminiscences 130-141 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
The  Mine  Run  campaign  —  March  —  Locust  Grove  —  Line  at  Mine 

Run  —  First  Massachusetts  Battery  at  Mine  Run— Night  retreat  142-145 


CONTENTS..  9 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Winter  at  Brandy  Station  —  Reminiscences  —  Reconnoissance  at 
Robinson's  River  —  Reminiscences  —  Gen.  Grant  arrives  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac — Preparations  for  an 
advance  —  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  the  Wilderness  —  The  5th, 
6th,  and  7th  of  May,  1864  —  Flank  movement  —  Spottsylvania  — 
Death  of  Gen.  Sedgwick  —  Laurel  Hill — Success  of  the  Second 
Corps — Flank  movement  —  North  Anna — Flank  movement  — 
Cold  Harbor  —  Incidents  of  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  June,  1864  146-157 

CHAPTER   XV. 

Before  Petersburg  —  Flank  movement  —  Cross  the  James  —  Incidents 
of  the  siege  —  Wilson's  raid —  Reams  Station  —  Sixth  Corps  sent 
to  Washington  —  Affair  at  the  Monocacy  —  Fort  Stevens  —  Pursuit 
of  Early  —  Up  Loudon  Valley  and  through  Snicker's  Gap  —  Mili 
tary  execution  — Return  to  Tenallytown  —  Marches  and  Counter 
marches —  Up  the  Valley  —  Sheridan  in  the  Valley 158-173 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

Battle  at  Opequon  Creek  —  Death  of  Gen.  Rhodes  —  Death  of  Gen. 
Russell —  Pursuit  of  Early  —  Battle  of  Fisher's  Hill  —  Roster  and 
Mount  Crawford '"".  174-180 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

Pursuit  of  Early  —  Army  at  Harrisonburg  and  Mount  Crawford  — 
Term  of  the  battery  expires  —  Down  the  valley  —  Tarry  at  Win 
chester  —  En  route  for  New  England  —  Baltimore  —  Wilming 
ton  —  Philadelphia  —  New  York  —  Reception  in  Boston  —  Statistics  181-186 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Supplementary  —  Roll  of  Veterans  —  First  Massachusetts  Light  Bat 
tery  —  Battle  of  Cedar  Creek  187-189 


APPENDIX. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH   OF   GEN.  W.  F.  SMITH 190,  191 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  GEN.  JNO.  SEDGWICK  ....         .    .   192,  193 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  CAPT.   JOSIAH  PORTER    .    .  194 

NOTES i95 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  WM.  H.  MCCARTNEY .  196*  19? 

ALPHABETICAL  INDEX  .  199-200 


IO  SKETCHES. 


GENERAL   WM.    BUEL   FRANKLIN 

Was  born  in  York,  Pa.,  February  27,  1823;  graduating  at  West 
Point  in  June,  1843,  ne  was  assigned  to  the  corps  of  topographical 
engineers.  In  the  ''Chihuahua  Column  "  in  the  early  part  of  Gen. 
Taylor's  campaign  in  Northern  Mexico,  he  served  upon  the  staff 
of  Gen.  Wool.  He  was  on  the  staff  of  the  commander-in-chief  at 
Buena  Vista,  and  for  "gallant  and  meritorious  services"  in  that 
battle,  was  brevetted  first  lieutenant. 

For  several  years  prior  to  1852,  he  was  instructor  in  natural  and 
experimental  philosophy,  at  West  Point  Military  Academy.  He 
subsequently  filled  the  same  chair  in  the  College  of  New  York. 
He  was  engineer  in  charge  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  from 
November,  1859, to  March,  1861.  Naturally  the  services  of  a  loyal, 
trained  soldier,  so  accomplished  as  was  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
were  in  eager  demand  in  the  spring  of  1861  ;  he  was  appointed, 
May  14,  colonel  of  the  Twelfth  United  States  Infantry,  and  three 
days  later  was  commissioned  brigadier  general,  United  States 
volunteers.  Gen.  Franklin  commanded  a  brigade  in  Heintzelman's 
division  at  Bull  Run.  During  the  period  of  organization  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  until  its  movement  in  the  spring  of 
1862,  he  commanded  a  division  which  was  first  assigned  to 
McDowell's  corps.  The  division  was  detached  in  April,  1862, 
and  joined  McClellan  before  Yorktown.  Gen.  Franklin  com 
manded  at  West  Point  near  the  mouth  of  the  Pamunkey,  May  6, 
1862,  and  during  this  month  organized  the  Sixth  Army  Corps, 
which  he  commanded  till  the  following  November.  During  this 
period  he  commanded  in  the  affairs  at  Golding's  Farm  and  White 
Oak  Swamp,  June  27  to  30 ;  commanded  the  left  at  South  Mountain, 
September  14,  his  troops  capturing  Crampton's  Gap ;  relieved 
Sumner's  command  in  the  afternoon  of  September  17,  at  Antietam. 

In  November  he  assumed  command  of  the  left  grand  division 


SKETCHES.  I  I 

(First  and  Sixth  Corps),  and  in  the  battle  of  the  I3th  of  December, 
commanded  the  left  wing  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  In  the 
following  September,  he  commanded  the  expedition  against 
Sabine  Pass,  Louisiana.  In  1863-64,  he  commanded  the  troops 
occupying  northern  Louisiana.  He  was  with  Gen.  Banks  at 
Sabine  Cross  Roads  ;  in  this  battle  Gen.  Franklin  was  wounded, 
and  had  two  horses  shot  under  him.  It  was  he  who  conducted 
the  retreat  to  Alexandria,  and  directed  Col.  Bailey  to  make  arrange 
ments  for  the  relief  of  Porter's  fleet  by  the  Red  River  dam. 
Through  the  summer  of  1864,  on  account  of  his  wound,  he  was 
absent  on  sick  leave.  During  this  period  Gen.  Grant  urged  the 
appointment  of  Gen.  Franklin  to  the  command  of  the  middle 
military  division.  The  general,  who  retired  from  the  service  in 
1865,  resides  at  Hartford,  Conn. 


GENERAL    HENRY    WARNER    SLOCUM 

Was  born  at  Pompey,  New  York,  September  24,  1827.  He 
entered  West  Point  Military  Academy  in  1848.  Graduating  in 
1852,  he  was  appointed  second  lieutenant  of  artillery.  Three 
years  later  he  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant,  and  served  in  the 
Florida  campaign  of  that  year,  against  the  Seminoles.  In  Octo 
ber,  1856,  he  resigned  from  the  army  and  entered  upon  the  prac 
tice  of  law  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  member  of  the  New 
York  House  of  Representatives  in  1859.  Slocum  was  one  of  the 
first  to  tender  his  services  to  the  general  government  at  the  out 
break  of  the  Rebellion,  and  early  in  May,  1861,  he  was  commis 
sioned  colonel  of  the  Twenty-seventh  New  York  Volunteers. 
This  regiment  he  led  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  being  severely 
woufided  on  the  2ist  of  July.  A  few  days  later  he  was  made 
brigadier  general  of  volunteers,  and  during  the  winter  of  1861, 
commanded  the  first  brigade  of  Franklin's  division.  In  May, 
1862,  upon  the  formation  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  he  succeeded  to  the 
command  of  the  First  Division.  June  27,  his  division  was  sent  at 
a  critical  moment  to  Porter's  relief  at  Games'  Mill,  and  rendered 
important  service.  At  Fraser's  Farm,  June  30,  the  record  made 
by  his  division  is  historic ;  at  Malvern  Hill,  July  I,  1862,  it  held 


12  SKETCHES. 

the  right  of  the  main  line.  He  was  commissioned  major  general 
of  volunteers,  July  4,  1862.  He  led  his  division  in  the  victorious 
engagement  on  the  left  at  South  Mountain  ;  and  at  Antietam,  three 
days  later,  the  timely  arrival  of  Slocum's  and  Smith's  commands 
of  the  Sixth  Corps  without  doubt  saved  to  the  Federals  the  for 
tunes  of  the  day.  In  October,  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of 
the  Twelfth  Corps,  which  he  led  at  Chancellorsville,  likewise  at 
Gettysburg,  where  he  commanded  the  right  wing  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  The  Twelfth  Corps  was  afterwards  transferred  to 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  in  April,  1864,  Gen.  Slocum  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  the  district  of  Vicksburg. 

****** 

September  2,  1864,  the  Twentieth  Corps,  the  advance  of  Sher 
man's  army  commanded  by  Gen.  Slocum,  was  the  first  to  enter 
Atlanta;  thenceforth  he  participated  in  all  the  engagements  of 
the  "march  to  the  sea,"  and  of  the  northward  movement  in  pur 
suit  of  Johnston's  army.  Upon  the  disbandment  of  the  volunteer 
forces  in  1865,  he  resigned  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  in  his 
native  state.  He  subsequently  served  in  the  Forty-first  and 
Forty-second  Congress,  and  is  at  present,  1886,  a  member  of  the 
National  House  of  Representatives  from  southern  New  York. 
He  resides  at  Brooklyn. 


ROSTER 

OF     THE 

FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY. 

October  3,  1861. 


CAPT.  JOSIAH  PORTER,  Commanding. 
First  Sergt.,  Quartermaster  Sergt., 

JOS.  W.    B.  WRIGHT.1  JNO.  B.  MCCARTNEY.67 

Clerk,  JNO.  W.  BELL. 
Guidon,  NICHOLAS  G.  LYNCH. 
Buglers,  FRANCIS  Hovx,67       THOS.  S.  HANICK. 

FIRST  SECTION  —  RIGHT. 

LIEUT.  WM.  H.  McCARTNEY,  Commanding. 

(Commissioned  Captain,  Dec.,  1862.) 

First  Detachment.  —  SERGT.  JOSEPH  BARNES  ;  Gunner,  Geo.  Lawrence ; 
Chief  of  Caisson,  Thos.  H.  Daily.3  Privates,  Alfred  Bunker,257 
Henry  S.  Hall,  Alex.  Harper,2  Jno.  Jaques,  Jno.  Carter,  Benj. 
Richardson,47  Ira  Walker,6  R.  J.  Isaacs,  David  Covell,  Wm.  J. 
Mills,  Thos.  F.  Longley,2  4  Edw.  W.  Preston,6  Michael  Sullivan, 
Jas.  Sullivan,  Henry  Tracy,7  Robert  Stacy,6  Alonzo  Sackett, 
Alfred  Bloxham,  Abel  A.  Fox. 

Third  Detachment.  —  SERGT.  CHAS.  H.  FRENCH  j1 7  Gunner,  Wm.  H.  Skim 
mings  ;  Chief  of  Caisson,  Jno.  Chase.  Privates,  David  S.  Morse,3 
Robert  Cunningham,2  Alonzo  Ranney,2  Barney  Hollis,2  David 
Russell,  Jno.  Daly,7  Willard  Chaffin,  Chas.  Appleton,3  Chas. 
Burley,  Amasa  H.  Tolman,2  Wm.  J.  Coye,  James  H.  Kane,7 
Maurice  Leavitt,  Jno.  McGee,  B.  F.  Winslow,6  7  Jno.  Burnham,24 
Geo.  Evans,  Wm.  Boyer,  Chas.  C.  Cannon,  Chas.  Edwards,  Wm. 
Hutchinson,  Wm.  F.  Wilbur,1  Chester  Ellis. 

Chief  of  Caissons,  LIEUT.  ROBT.  L.  SAWIN. 

(ist  Lieut.  1862,  on  Staff  of  Chief  of  Artillery,  1863.) 

i  Commissioned,   later.     2  Received    a  warrant,    later.     3  Killed  or  died  in   hospital.     4  Wounded. 
5  Taken  prisoner.     6  Discharged  for  disability.     7  Died  since  muster  out. 


14  ROSTER. 

SECOND    SECTION  — LEFT. 

LIEUT.  J.  HENRY  SLEEPER,  Commanding. 

(Commissioned  Captain  Tenth  Massachusetts  Battery,  Sept.,  1862). 

Second  Detachment.  —  SERGT.  JAS.  SINCLAIR;  Gunner,  Jas.  S.  Rowland;7 
Chief  of  Caisson,  Harry  Warren.  Privates,  Stephen  H.  Rey 
nolds,'246  Geo.  Blake,27  Geo.  V.  Brooke,6  Wilbur  F.  Bates,7 
Amos  Colby,2  Alfred  A.  Young,27  Wm.  A.  Ham,  Chas.  Lynde,7 
Thos.  J.  Covell,267  Willard  Pettengill,2  Jno.  Clark,3  Thos.  A. 
Deavitt,  Wm.  Scott,57  M.  V.  B.  Gushing,4  Benj.  Daniels,3  Jas. 
Gushing,  Jno.  Parker,2  Joseph  Pearson,6  Patrick  Sullivan,6  Paul 
Sherman,2  Geo.  Barnard,  Samuel  E.  Hook,4  Chas.  Cade,2  D. 
Warren  Ellis,  Edwin  C.  Barrett,  David  B.  Gerry,  Chas.  Wheel- 
ock  (Bugler). 

Fourth  Detachment.  —  SERGT.  JOSEPH  H.  MAREA  ;3  Gunner,  Wm.  Caswell  ;7 
Chief  of  Caisson,  Milbrey  Greene.1  Privates,  Jno.  Taylor,  Wm. 
Humbey,7  Jas.  J.  Muldoon,7  Jas.  Heywood,5  Cornelius  Slattery,7 
Otis  S.  Neale,2  Jno.  Copeland,6  Jno.  Carroll,6  Wm.  Hanscom, 
Calvin  Currier,3  Geo.  Howe,6  Harry  Marsh,6  Henry  Carpenter,7 
Stephen  Tucker,6  7  Chas.  Poore,7  T.  A.  Johnson,  Wm.  F.  Ward, 
Henry  R.  Jenkins,  Martin  Barry,6  Jno.  Kelly,  Chas.  G.  Milliken,3 
Benj.  Brooks,  Robt.  G.  Small,  Robt.  Macdonald,57  Robt.  Reade, 
Jas.  S.  Gordon,  Edwin  W.  Pratt. 

THIRD    SECTION  — CENTRE. 

LIEUT.  JACOB  FEDERHEN,  Commanding.* 

(Senior  ist  Lieut.,  Dec.,  1862). 

Fifth  Detachment.  —  SERGT.  MATTHEW  ADAMS  ;  Gunner,  Reuben  P.  Char 
ters  ;  Chief  of  Caisson,  Asa  Smith.1 3  Privates,  Chas.  B.  Hill,6  7 
Jno.  Ricker,  Henry  Smitherman,27  Eben  Cook,67  Stephen 
Knowles,3  Geo.  B.  White,3  Nathaniel  Trumbull,  Charles  Haw 
kins,67  Edw.  P.  Swift,  Chas.  Cummings,6  Jno.  Hutchinson,  Geo. 
A.  Smith,  Silas  Tarbell,  A.  J.  Bennett,  Jas.  N.  Dunn,  B.  F. 
Young,7  Alvin  Stevens,6  Albert  Gage,3  Orrin  Foster,6  Frank 
Howard,6  Ezra  Baxter,  Jr.,  Francis  H.  Conway,7  Henry  C.  Hall, 
Sylvester  Horton,  Richard  Allen,*  Geo.  O.  Manning.1 

Sixth  Detachment.—  SERGT.  O.  S.  SNELL;  Gunner,  Jas.  W.  Kenney ;  Chief 
of  Caisson,  Henry  Williams.  Privates,  Daniel  Cheney,3  Wm. 
Ouinn,7  Wm.  J.  Ouinn,  Wm.  J.  Wheeler.12  O.  B.  Bussey,7  Wm. 
H.  White,2  Daniel  Benham,  Fred  Gunther,  Samuel  Johnson,  Jas. 
French,7  Rufus  Starbird,  Joseph  W.  Woodbury,6  Joseph  Yates,6 
Wm.  A.  Twiss,6  Wm.  Twilight,6  Harry  Langley,6  Daniel  Ma- 
comber,6  Jacob  Riedel,67  Jas.  Rogers,6  Marshall  P.  Goodwin,2 
George  Howes,?  Fred  W.  Frost,  Chas.  Gerry,6  7  Emery  Kemp- 
ton,7  Albert  D.  Morse.7 

Artificers.  —  JNO.  POOLER,3  Eber  Hill,  Peter  Roome,6  Geo.  Morse,  Wm. 
Emery,  Wm.  Pinkerton.6 


ROSTER. 


ADDITIONAL    MEMBERS. 


Allen,  Erasmus  D. 
Beattie,  Jas. 
Bird,  Chas.  C. 
Brusseau,  October. 
Carroll,  Jno.  W. 
Clancy,  Jeremiah.4 
Clifford,  Richard. 
Cross,  Fred  KJ 
Deveon,  Clement. 
Doolan,  Patrick. 
Dustin,  Redford. 
Dupee,  Louis. 
Ellis,  Obed. 
Essler,  Jno.7 
Esterbrook,  Wm.  H. 
Eton,  Edwin  D. 
Fannin,  Joseph. 
Fischer,  Henry  B. 
Gardiner,  Jno. 
Galliff,  Geo.  H. 
Gordon,  Jno.3 
Griffin,  Ira. 
Hall,  Albert  F.s 
Hatch,  Albert  P. 
Helmer,  J. 
Herron,  Wm. 
Hewitt,  Chas.  B. 
Higgins,  Fred  T. 
Horrigan,  Jno. 
Horrigan,  Michael. 
Holden,  Jas. 
Hudson,  Wm.  J. 
Huntington,  Chas. 
Irish,  Millard  F. 
Isaacs,  Wm.  H.3 
Kelly,  Michael. 
Kelly,  Patrick. 
Kelly,  William. 
King,  Z. 
Laughlin. 


Lemay,  Peter. 
Longfellow,  Ernest.1 
Libby,  Geo. 
Maine,  Jno.  W. 
Maine,  Joseph. 
Martineau. 
Millett,  Geo.  L. 
Miller. 

Mitchell,  Lawrence. 
Moore,  Ira. 
AJurphy,  David  S. 
Murphy,  Jno. 
Neville,  Thos.3 
Parlowe,  H.i 
Philips,  P. 
Pine,  Smith. 
Prouty,  Robt.  A. 
Reagan,  Timothy  O. 
Record,  Horace. 
Reddington,  H. 
Richardson,  Jno.  S.4 
Right,  Jno. 
Rock,  Louis. 
Rowley,  Jno.  M. 
Sallinger,  W. 
Schwamb,  Chas.^ 
Shannon,  Edwin. 
Shay,  G. 
Siddons,  Geo. 
Siddons,  Jas. 
Smith,  Ansell.e 
Smith,  Frank  B. 
Smith,  Jno. 
Smith,  Jno.  H. 
Soper,  Herman. 
Stratton,  Frederic  S. 
Sturdivant,  Andrew  M, 
White,  Chas. 
Wilson,  Daniel  G. 
Wright,  C.  M. 


THK    STORY 


First  Massachusetts  Light  Battery. 


CHAPTER    I. 


THE  name  of  the  literature  of  the  great  Civil  War  is  Legion. 
During  the  two  decades  since  our  muster  out  as  volunteers, 
a  steady  stream  of  chronicles,  some  general  in  their  character, 
others  distinctively  reciting  the  story  of  particular  commands,  has 
flowed  from  the  press.  Yet  there  will  be  ever  room  for  one  more 
version  of  the  story  of  the  deeds  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
until  the  tale  has  been  told  from  the  point  of  view  of  every  regi 
mental  and  battery  organization  of  that  army,  by  some  surviving 
comrade  who  may  be  inspired  to  perform  the  labor  of  love  by  the 
recollections  of  the  past  and  the  realization  of  the  value  of  its 
lessons  to  the  generations  that  have  succeeded  the  men  of  that 
eventful  period  from  1861  to  1865.  We  feel,  therefore,  that  no 
apology  is  necessary  for  this  plain  narrative  of  the  army  life 
of  the  First  Massachusetts  Light  Battery,  which  involves  a 
study  of  the  career  of  the  glorious  old  Sixth  Corps  of  which  our 
company  was  an  element.  In  the  minds  and  hearts  of  our  surviv- 

17 


1 8  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

ing  comrades  we    believe  the  incidents  which  we  recall   in  our 
narrative  are  indelibly  impressed. 

"  Still  o'er  these  scenes  their  memory  wakes, 
And  fondly  broods  with  miser  care  ; 
Time  but  the  impression  deeper  makes, 
As  streams  their  channels  deeper  wear." 

To  the  general  reader  we  trust  they  will  be  invested  with 
interest,  as  contributions  to  some  of  the  grandest  pages  of  the 
history  of  our  first  century. 

****** 

In  the  summer  of  1861,  the  old  Boston  Light  Artillery  had 
returned  to  Massachusetts,  its  three  months'  term  of  enlistment, 
under  the  75,000  call,  having  expired.  Josiah  Porter  of  Cam 
bridge,  an  experienced  officer  of  the  old  battery  of  the  Massa 
chusetts  militia,  was  commissioned  captain  of  a  company  of  light 
artillery,  to  be  recruited  in  Boston  and  its  vicinity,  the  nucleus 
of  the  company  to  be  perhaps  those  of  the  old  command  who 
should  volunteer,  and  its  officers  selected  from  the  practised 
numbers  of  that  efficient  corps. 

This,  in  brief,  was  the  origin  of  the  first  battery  of  light  artillery 
recruited  in  Massachusetts  in  response  to  the  500,000  call. 

The  little  recruiting  office,  then  situated  on  Hanover  Street, 
where  the  majority  of  the  original  number  comprising  this  com 
mand  signed  the  enlistment  papers,  has  long  since  been  removed; 
but  the  old  armory  building  in  Cooper  Street  still  remains,  where 
one  hundred  of  our  number,  having  been  found  physically  qualified, 
were,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1861,  mustered  into  the  volunteer 
service  of  the  United  States,  for  the  period  of  three  years  or  dur 
ing  the  war.  Receiving  at  this  place  our  fatigue  uniforms,  knap 
sacks,  and  blankets,  we  proceeded  that  afternoon  to  Camp  Cam 
eron,  North  Cambridge.  This  was  on  a  farm  extending  from  the 
old  Lexington  pike,  which  crosses  Winter  Hill,  and  thence  over 
the  ridge  in  Somerville  to  Arlington,  south  to  North  Avenue  in 
Cambridge,  or  to  the  old  pike  that  leads  from  Harvard  Square  in 
Old  Cambridge  to  Arlington,  and  there  unites  with  the  road  from 
Somerville.  The  southern  half  of  the  farm  in  Cambridge  was  a 
plateau  of  perhaps  ten  acres,  extending  back  from  the  Cambridge 
road,  and  falling  off  quite  abruptly  to  a  meadow  through  which 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  IQ 

ran  a  little  brook,  a  branch  of  the  Alewife.  On  the  northern  bor 
der  of  this  plateau,  extending,  with  intervals  between  them,  clear 
across  the  plain,  were  barracks.  About  midway  in  the  range  of 
buildings,  and  between  the  two  middle  barracks  in  the  range,  a 
road  passed  from  the  Cambridge  road,  north,  dividing  the  plain  in 
two,  and  crossing  the  little  brook  and  the  sloping  field  beyond, 
which  was  in  Somerville.  The  barracks  at  the  east  of  this  bridle- 
road  were  occupied  by  the  boys  of  the  First  Light  Battery,  and 
those  on  the  west  were,  early  during  our  stay  in  this  camp,  used 
by  the  men  of  the  Twenty-sixth,  of  which  the  old  Sixth,  that  went 
through  Baltimore  on  the  igth  of  April,  was  the  nucleus.  Be 
tween  the  barracks  and  the  Cambridge  road  was  the  drill  ground, 
and  a  fine  one  it  was. 

Near  the  south  bank  of  the  little  brook,  and  to  the  east  of  the 
bridle-road,  was  the  commissary  and  quartermaster's  department 
building,  and  to  its  left  and  rear,  if  you  were  looking  south,  were 
our  stables.  North  of  the  brook  and  well  up  the  slope  to  the 
west  of  the  bridle-road,  were  the  headquarters  of  the  battery. 

Recruiting  for  the  company  continued  both  in  town  and  at  the 
camp,  until  the  complement  for  light  artillery  was  obtained. 

Drilling  on  the  light  six-pounders,  and  in  field  battery  manoeu 
vres —  our  maximum  number  of  men  having  been  obtained  —  we 
remained  at  this  place  until  October  3,  when,  at  sunrise,  we  bade 
farewell  to  a  camp  where  none  but  pleasant  recollections  lingered, 
and  took  up  our  line  of  march  for  the  field  of  actual  conflict. 
Having  been  for  five  weeks  under  the  instruction  of  skilled  and 
experienced  officers,  in  the  bright  new  uniforms  of  the  red 
artillery  furnished  us  by  the  state,  we  had  then  the  appearance  of 
soldiers. 

All  along  the  line  of  march, —  through  classic  Cambridge,  the 
streets  of  this  dear  old  city,  passing  in  review  before  the  lamented 
Gov.  Andrew  at  the  State  House,  until  arriving  at  the  Old  Colony 
depot, —  from  doorway,  window,  and  balcony,  and  from  every 
side,  such  an  ovation  was  given  us  by  the  outpouring  of  the 
people  as  to  make  a  pleasing  and  lasting  impression  on  every 
heart.  At  the  depot,  a  special  train  having  been  provided,  our 
horses,  guns,  and  caissons  were  quickly  placed  on  board,  husbands 
separated  themselves  with  saddened  hearts  from  their  wives  and 
children,  sons  from  fathers  or  mothers,  brothers  from  brothers 


2O  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

or  sisters,  and  some  from  sweethearts, —  nearly  all  leaving  quiet 
and  happy  New  England  homes  behind, —  lingering  adieus  were 
said,  and  the  First  Massachusetts  Light  Battery,  composed  of 
five  officers  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  men,  was  on  its  journey 
to  the  scene  of  action  in  Virginia. 

Many  of  those  brave  hearts  had  said  their  last  farewell.  They 
were  destined  to  see  their  loved  ones  no  more, —  no  more  to  share 
the  comforts  and  blessings  from  which  they  had  separated. 

Taking  steamer  at  Fall  River  and  reaching  New  York  the 
following  morning,  we  camped  on  the  Battery  near  Castle 
Garden ;  remaining  there  until  the  afternoon,  we  marched  to 
Washington  Square,  thence  down  Broadway,  enthusiastic  greetings 
being  extended  to  us.  In  the  evening  of  this  day  we  embarked 
upon  a  steamer  for  South  Amboy,  New  Jersey ;  reaching  that 
place,  proceeded  across  the  state  to  Philadelphia  via  Camden. 

In  these  days  the  patriotic  ladies  of  Philadelphia  maintained 
a  refreshment  room  near  the  station  of  the  Philadelphia,  Wilming 
ton  and  Baltimore  Railroad,  for  Union  volunteers  who  were  passing 
to  the  front  through  the  Quaker  city,  and  here,  ministered  to  by 
some  of  these  mother]y  dames,  we  breakfasted  on  the  5th  of  Octo 
ber.  There  was  opportunity,  of  which  some  comrades  availed 
themselves,  to  write  home. 

There  was  a  musical  tribute  rendered  by  a  chorus  of  our 
comrades  while  waiting  for  the  train,  in  appreciation  of  the  atten 
tions  of  the  ladies ;  then  adieus,  and  departure  for  Washington ; 
through  Wilmington  before  noon,  and  on  to  the  bank  of  the 
Susquehanna.  There,  awaiting  our  train,  was  the  huge  railroad 
ferry-boat,  the  Constitution,  the  bridge  from  Port  Deposit  to 
Havre  de  Grace  having  been  burned  ;  this  was  said  to  be  the  vessel 
that  conveyed  Gen.  Butler  and  his  command  to  Annapolis  when 
he  took  possession  of  that  city  in  the  previous  spring.  It  was  a 
a  novel  sight,  the  transportation  of  a  train  of  freight  and  passen 
ger  cars  with  locomotive  over  the  ferry.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we 
arrived  at  the  Baltimore  station  of  this  road,  and  thence  marched 
across  the  city  to  the  station  from  which  we  were  to  proceed  to 
Washington. 

In  the  evening  we  found  ourselves  ensconced  in  freight  cars, 
and  entered  upon  our  forty-mile  ride  to  the  capital.  It  must 
for  some  reason  have  been  very  slow,  inasmuch  as  it  was  past 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  21 

sunrise  when  we  debarked  from  the  train,  and  marched  to  the 
Soldier's  Rest,  then  near  the  Capitol.  Having  partaken  of  some 
refreshment,  we  proceeded  to  the  freight  depot,  and,  our  battery 
and  teams  being  unloaded,  we  harnessed  and  marched  up  the 
slope  of  Capitol  Hill,  out  northeast  of  the  Capitol,  toward  Ana- 
costa  Creek  above  the  bend,  and  made  a  camp  with  other  com 
panies  of  reserve  artillery,  which  were  here  receiving  instruction, 
while  awaiting  assignment  to  some  division  of  the  great  army, 
which  was  then  being  organized.  There  were  also  several  thou 
sand  cavalry  encamped  hard  by  ;  and,  during  the  week  of  our  sojourn, 
there  was  a  grand  review  of  the  mounted  troops,  ten  thousand,  we 
should  judge,  our  battery  among  them.  We  embraced  an  oppor 
tunity  one  day  before  our  departure  from  this  place,  to  run  out 
to  Bladensburg,  four  miles  or  more  away,  to  see  the  boys  of  the 
First  and  Eleventh  Massachusetts,  Hooker's  brigade  then  lying 
along  the  range  of  the  northern  fortifications  of  the  Capitol, 
which  we  believe  they  had  helped  construct.  These  bronzed 
pioneers  of  the  quota  of  our  old  Bay  State  were  just  coming  in 
from  drill,  when  we  arrived,  and  experienced  a  lively  surprise,  no 
doubt,  as  we  met  their  glance  in  passing.  When  they  broke  ranks 
there  was  a  hearty  handshaking  and  welcome. 

It  was  on  the  I2th  of  October,  we  believe,  that  we  marched  to 
the  arsenal,  and  exchanged  four  of  our  guns,  two  rifle  six- 
pounders,  and  two  smooth  bores  of  the  same  caliber,  for  Parrotts, 
retaining  the  two  howitzers  of  the  left  section.  Two  days  later, 
we  marched  down  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  thence  Fourteenth 
Street,  over  Long  Bridge,  across  the  Potomac,  and  for  the  first 
time  this  command  was  upon  the  soil  of  Virginia  —  a  soil  upon 
which  the  grand  old  Army  of  the  Potomac,  then  organizing,  was 
destined  to  suffer  defeats  or  gain  victories  ;  to  endure  every  con 
ceivable  hardship  and  danger  ;  to  prove  itself,  in  the  loss  of  about 
150,000  of  its  rank  and  file,  and  in  every  emergency,  worthy  as 
the  defender  of  the  capital  of  the  nation ;  to  endure  the  unjust 
criticisms,  the  deep  injuries,  the  cruel  taunts  of  those  in  our  rear 
who  knew  little  or  nothing  of  what  they  were  talking  or  writing ; 
to  fight  a  desperate  and  stubborn  foe,  the  very  flower  of  the  Con 
federate  army,  under  command  of  their  ablest  generals,  on  over 
five  hundred  fields  in  that  one  state  ;  and  .destined,  when  those 
surviving  should  become  bronzed  into  veterans  of  hundreds  of 


22  THE      STORY     OF     THE 

fields,  when  their  hearts,  regarding  hardships  and  dangers,  should 
become  hardened  like  the  oak,  and  their  nerves  had  become  like 
nerves  of  steel,  —  at  last  to  conquer. 

We  had  been  assigned  to  Gen.  Franklin's  division,  which  was 
then  lying  about  four  miles  northwest  of  Alexandria,  on  the 
borders  of  Fairfax  County,  the  division  headquarters  being  at  Fair 
fax  Seminary,  the  New  Jersey  brigade  then  commanded  by  Gen. 
Kearney,  and  the  First.  New  York  Cavalry,  lying  upon  the  slope  of 
Seminary  Hill,  south  of  the  Leesburg  pike,  a  brigade  com 
manded  by  Gen.  Newton  located  along  the  pike  north  of  the  sem 
inary,  and  a  brigade  commanded  by  Gen.  Slocum  lying  northeast 
of  Newton's  brigade,  and  north  of  the  pike,  the  camp  of  its  near 
est  regiment,  the  Sixteenth  New  York  Volunteers,  being  perhaps 
thirty  rods  from  the  road.  These  troops,  with  four  batteries  of 
light  artillery,  constituted  this  division  in  October,  1861. 

When  we  arrived,  there  was  a  battery  of  New  Jersey  volunteers 
commanded  by  Capt.  Hexamer  in  the  vicinity  of  division  head 
quarters,  a  battery  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Newton's  brigade, 
a  battery  of  regulars,  D,  Second  U.  S.  Artillery,  lying  near  the 
pike,  and  opposite,  Slocum's  brigade.  This  battery  was  located 
upon  a  plain,  which  the  road  from  Alexandria  reaches  shortly 
after  it  crosses  the  run  which  makes  its  way  from  Arlington 
Heights  southeasterly  to  Alexandria.  The  First  Massachusetts 
Battery  encamped  in  a  piece  of  woods  on  the  east  side  of  this 
run  and  at  the  left  of  Slocum's  brigade.  In  this  camp,  which  was 
named  Revere,  we  remained  until  winter.  Our  drill-ground  was 
on  the  plain  beyond  Newton's  brigade,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
pike,  —  of  this  field  we  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  later. 
The  inspection  of  the  artillery  by  the  chief  of  artillery  of  the 
army,  and  the  review  of  the  division,  were  made  upon  the  high 
plateau  west  of  the  seminary. 

Much  time  was  given  daily  to  drill,  in  the  manual  of  the  piece, 
field  manoeuvres,  and  sabre  exercise.  And  while  in  this  camp,  the 
company  went  occasionally  to  target  practice  below  Alexandria, 
upon  the  Potomac  meadows ;  there  also  we  were  quartered  when 
we  participated  in  the  first  grand  review  of  the  army  by  Geo.  B. 
McClellan.  From  this  camp  details  frequently,  during  the  fall,  were 
sent  with  wagons  to  the  vicinity  of  Mt.  Vernon  for  forage. 

We  remember  that  the  troops  at  this  time  lying  farthest  to  the 


FIRST      MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  23 

left  and  front  on  this  side  of  the  Potomac,  and  on  the  line  of  these 
foraging  expeditions,  were  the  three  brigades  of  Heintzelman's 
division,  commanded  respectively  by  Generals  Sedgwick,  Jame 
son,  and  Richardson.  Thanksgiving  was  observed  here  in  genuine 
New  England  style  ;  an  oven  had  previously  been  constructed  by 
one  of  our  masonic  comrades, —  for  we  had  representatives  of  every 
useful  and  honorable  craft, —  and  the  cooks  drew  out  of  it  at  din 
ner  time  a  turkey  nicely  browned,  dumplings,  pudding,  and  sun 
dries  indispensable  to  a  correct  Thanksgiving  menu.  Nor  were 
the  necessary  pre-prandial  exercises  omitted.  Lieut.  Savvin,  the 
reader  par  excellence  of  our  official  corps,  recited  to  the  officers 
and  men,  Gov.  Andrew's  Thanksgiving  proclamation  for  the  year 
A.  D.  1 86 1  ;  and  we  venture  to  affirm  that  each  comrade  bestowed 
a  benediction  upon  the  old  Bay  State,  ere  he  swallowed  a  mouth 
ful  of  the  cheer  provided. 

Civilian  visitors,  official  and  non-official,  were  occasionally  seen 
on  this  ground ;  among  the  former  we  remember  the  chairman  of 
the  House  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  of  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Congress,  a  Massachusetts  man. 

****** 

At  morning  roll-call  one  day  in  November  we  were  informed 
that  the  division  would  be  marshalled  upon  the  long  field  north 
of  Seminary  Hill,  at  the  right  of  the  Leesburg  turnpike,  to 
witness  a  military  execution ;  the  position  of  each  regiment  of 
infantry,  the  cavalry,  and  each  of  the  four  batteries,  was  defined, 
the  route  of  the  general  and  staff,  the  ambulance  and  coffin,  the 
wagon  in  which  sat  the  condemned  with  the  priest,  and  the 
firing  party.  At  two  o'clock,  as  at  a  parade,  we  were  drawn  up 
in  line  upon  the  field,  the  artillery  men  forming  the  shortest  of 
the  three  sides  of  a  rectangle,  or  its  eastern  end,  infantry  form 
ing  the  northern  of  the  two  long  parallel  sides,  infantry  and 
cavalry,  the  southern  ;  presently  Gen.  Franklin  and  staff  passed 
our  front,  within  the  rectangle  moving  around  the  front  of  the 
southern  side;  then  came  the  mounted  guard  of  the  prisoner's  own 
regiment,  the  Lincoln  cavalry,  followed  by  the  firing  party,  also 
of  his  own  regiment,  and,  on  foot,  twelve  men  with  carbines,  one 
of  which  was  loaded  with  blank  cartridges ;  then  the  ambulance 
bearing  the  coffin  ;  and  lastly,  a  wagon  conveying  the  priest  and 
the  condemned  man,  whose  face  was  the  incarnation  of  misery  and 


24  THE      STORY     OF     THE 

helplessness ;    its  abject,  woe-begone  expression  was,  if  possible, 
heightened  by  his  sallow  complexion,  light  hair  and  eyebrows. 

As  this  dismal  procession  passed  the  left  of  the  artillery 
brigade,  its  commander  read  the  charge,  specification,  finding, 
and  sentence  of  the  court  martial  :  Wm.  Johnson  of  the  First 
New  York  Volunteer  Cavalry  had  left  his  post  on  cavalry  picket 
in  Fairfax  County,  Virginia;  had  attempted  to  pass  within  the  Con 
federate  lines  ;  and  had  communicated  to  a  supposed  Confederate 
officer,  accompanied  by  his  staff,  information  which  was  calculated 
to  facilitate  an  attack  upon  our  outposts. 

If  he  were  to  be  believed,  he  enlisted  having  such  diabolical 
purpose  in  contemplation.  "  Sentenced  to  be  shot  to  death  by 
musketry."  "  For  simple  desertion  the  punishment  is  death ; 
coupled  with  such  treachery  there  can  be  no  mercy."  In  the 
solemn  stillness  of  the  scene,  you  could  hear  this  last  refrain 
pronounced  to  command  after  command  for  one  third  of  the 
length  of  the  line.  At  length  the  wagon  reached  the  spot,  near 
the  open  end  of  the  rectangle,  where  the  execution  was  to  take 
place.  Johnson  descended,  supported  by  his  chaplain  ;  the  firing 
party  took  its  position,  the  general  and  staff  being  without  the 
line  and  near  the  head.  The  condemned  man,  standing  beside 
his  coffin,  said,  "  May  God  keep  you,  boys,  from  all  such  sin." 
Then  the  signal  was  given,  a  simultaneous  discharge  of  twelve 
carbines  followed,  and  Johnson  was  seen  to  fall  beside  his  coffin. 
One  by  one  the  regiments  and  the  batteries  passed  the  fatal  spot 
where  he  lay  stark  and  stiff.  A  large  black  spot  above  and  to  the 
right  of  his  right  eye,  made  his  ashen  face  seem  paler  by  contrast. 
This  was  the  first  instance  of  the  application  of  the  death  penalty 
for  desertion  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  "  Confederate 
officer"  whom  Johnson  interviewed  was  Col.  Taylor  of  New 
Jersey,  who  was  scouting  in  that  section,  being  clad  appropriately 
for  the  occasion. 

****** 

In  December  we  moved  over  the  run,  across  the  Leesburg 
pike,  and  established  our  camp  beside  and  west  of  the  camp  of  D, 
Second  U.  S.  Artillery.  Substantial  wooden  sheds  were  built 
around  a  rectilinear  plot,  three  sides  of  it ;  at  the  east  end  was 
one  range  of  the  sheds  of  the  regulars.  These  were  for  the 
horses ;  within  this  enclosure,  to  which  there  was  an  entrance  on 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  25 

the  northern  and  southern  sides,  were  the  company  and  head 
quarters  ;  each  detachment  had  a  bell  tent,  which  might  shelter 
fifteen  men ;  this  was  provided  with  a  little  box  stove,  which  the 
boys  took  turns  in  supplying  with  wood. 

The  park  was  without  the  enclosure  on  the  north  side,  and 
our  sentry  walking  his  beat  therein,  when  he  reached  the  eastern 
limits,  would  be  but  a  few  feet  from  the  sentry  in  the  park  of 
Company  D.  Water  for  the  two  batteries,  and  we  believe  for  the 
Sixteenth  New  York,  was  obtained  from  a  well  on  the  north  side 
of  the  pike,  on  the  farm  of  one  Going,  a  tpyical  North  Virginian, 
long,  lank,  and  sandy,  perhaps  sixty  years  old,  who  dwelt  in  a  small 
and  somewhat  dilapidated  house  hard  by  ;  his  family  consisted  of 
his  wife,  three  stalwart  sons,  —  one  of  them  living  with  his  family 
in  a  cot  near  by,  one  being  up  at  Manassas  Junction  in  the  Con 
federate  ranks, —  and  a  daughter.  Owing  to  the  proximity  of  this 
family  to  our  camp,  we  had  a  prime  opportunity  to  observe  and 
study  the  characteristics  of  the  grade  of  population  of  which 
these  people  were  representatives,  and  which  formed,  we  dare 
affirm,  the  largest  part  of  the  rank  and  file  of  the  Confederate 
army  in  the  East. 

Reviewing  now  the  results  of  our  observations  in  those  days, 
and  setting  over  against  their  defects  and  deficiencies  certain 
sterling  traits  that  they  undoubtedly  evinced,  we  find  a  very 
considerable  balance  in  their  favor.  A  few  incidents  of  our 
meetings  and  conversation  with  them  may  not  be  uninteresting. 

Sometimes,  while  eating  in  their  kitchen  the  sweet  potato  pie 
which  these  women  seemed  to  be  adepts  in  making  and  by  means 
of  which  they  turned  a  penny,  we  would  be  questioned  by  the 
mother  as  to  our  homes  in  the  North,  how  we  lived, —  why  we  left 
them.  "Poor  little  boys,"  the  old  dame  would  say  ;  "you  should 
go  home  to  your  mothers."  Then  she  would  bring  from  a 
bureau  in  the  adjacent  bedroom  a  daguerrotype  of  a  bright  looking 
youth  clad  in  Confederate  gray,  show  it  to  us,  and  weep. 

The  daughter  was  a  strapping  girl  of  nineteen,  a  stanchly 
loyal  Virginian  from  the  Confederate  standpoint.  One  day  the 

mother  remarked  to  some  of  us,  that  C,  of  the th  -  — ,  was 

going  to  be  married  to  an  Alexandria  girl  that  evening.  "  She  '11 
be  a  Union  gal  then,"  said  the  old  lady.  "  White-washed  Union," 
retorted  her  daughter.  "Why  !  why!  are  n't  you  a  Union  gal  ?" 


26  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

"No,  I  am  secesh  to  the  backbone."  "Oh,  pshaw  !  gal."  Some 
comrade  here  commended  the  girl's  candor,  and  she,  turning  to 
him,  asked  if  he  really  believed  the  Confederacy  would  fail ;  being 
assured  that  lie  had  a  strong  conviction  that  it  would  crumble, 
she  would  laugh  incredulously.  The  deportment  of  these  sons 
and  the  daughter  toward  their  parents,  and  the  manners  and 
bearing  of  children  in  the  same  walk  in  life,  as  exemplified  in 
their  intercourse  with  their  parents,  as  they  came  under  our 
observation  in  Dixie,  were  in  the  highest  degree  creditable,  alike 
to  parental  training  and  to  filial  tractability. 

As  to  the  men  in  question,  they  were,  for  obvious  reasons,  less 
communicative  than  the  girl  in  regard  to  their  political  senti 
ments.  But  they  were  no  hypocrites. 

****** 

During  this  winter,  we  were  called  to  mourn  the  loss  of  Comrade 
Carpenter,  of  Lowell,  who  was  killed  while  on  duty  with  his  team. 
This  was  the  first  diminution  that  our  ranks  suffered.  Before  the 
army  moved,  however,  Comrades  Cook  and  Preston  left  us ;  the 
former  was  detailed  for  hospital  service  in  Alexandria  ;  the  latter 
was  discharged  on  account  of  disability  resulting  from  protracted 
illness. 

****** 

We  well  remember  the  crisp,  cold  New  Year's  Eve  of  1862  ;  the 
band  of  the  Jersey  Blues  near  the  seminary  discoursed  patriotic 
and  sentimental  music,  until  the  last  old  page  turned. 

The  month  of  January  was  passed  in  the  usual  routine  of  winter 
camp.  A  few  days  before  the  new  year  opened,  Gen.  Ord's  bri 
gade  of  McCall's  division,  lying  on  the  upper  Potomac, —  being,  in 
fact,  the  right  of  that  portion  of  the  army  which  was  on  the  south 
side, —  having  advanced  to  Dranesville,  was  attacked  by  a  Confed 
erate  brigade  under  Gen.  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  who  was  repulsed  with  a 
loss  of  over  two  hundred.  This  was  an  offset  to  the  unfortunate 
affair  at  Ball's  Bluff,  in  the  previous  October.  In  February,  the 
army  and  the  nation  were  deprived  by  death  of  the  services  of 
Gen.  Lander,  who  commanded  the  extreme  right  division  of  the 
army  in  Virginia,  in  the  vicinity  of  Romney.  He  was  one  who 
had  given  the  highest  promise  of  valuable  service  to  the  nation  in 
its  time  of  dire  need.  He  will  be  remembered  with  Gen.  Shields 
as  one  in  whom  Stonewall  Jackson  found  a  foeman  worthy  of  his 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  2/ 

steel.  Early  in  February,  our  left  section,  the  two  howitzers  and 
their  cannoneers,-  the  gunners,  sergeants,  and  chief,  had  the  honor 
of  forming  a  portion  of  a  reconnoitring  party  that  made  an  early 
expedition  to  Annandale ;  and  on  the  loth  of  March  the  army 
was  in  motion.  At  this  moment,  its  disposition  and  composition 
was  as  follows :  Hooker's  division  on  the  extreme  left,  twenty- 
two  miles  below  Washington  on  the  east  side  of  the  Potomac ; 
Heintzelman's  division  on  the  Mt.  Vernon  road  below  Alexandria; 
Sumner's  and  Franklin's  on  the  right  of  Heintzelman,  near  Fairfax 
Seminary  ;  McDowell's  and  Keyes's  on  the  right  of  Franklin  ;  then 
Porter's,  and  on  his  right,  McCall's.  East  of  the  Blue  Ridge 
there  were  no  Federal  troops  in  Virginia  to  the  west  of  McCall ; 
but  on  the  Maryland  side,  in  the  vicinity  of  Edward's  Ferry,  was 
the  division  of  Gen.  Stone.  At  Harper's  Ferry  was  Gen.  Banks,  and 
on  his  right,  the  division  lately  commanded  by  Lander.  The  even 
ing  of  the  lothof  March,  1862,  found  our  division  at  Fairfax,  C.  H., 
bivouacking  east  of  the  village.  The  advance  meanwhile  had 
reached  Manassas  Junction,  to  find  it  evacuated  by  the  Confed 
erates,  who,  under  Gen.  Joseph  E.  Johnson,  had  retired  behind  the 
Rapidan.  We  tarried  three  days,  we  believe,  at  Fairfax.  The 
army  headquarters,  we  remember,  during  most  of  this  time,  were 
in  a  large  mansion  north  of  the  village. 

Then  there  was  a  return  of  our  division  along  the  line  of  march 
to  the  border  of  Alexandria  County.  It  was  now  that  the  army 
corps  were  organized  :  Gens.  Heintzelman,  McDowell,  Keyes,  Sum- 
ner,  and  Banks, —  each  commanding  one  which  included  the  divi 
sion  that  had  been  previously  in  his  charge.  Thus,  Gen.  McDowell 
was  assigned  to  the  First  Corps,  consisting  of  his  old  division, 
now  commanded  by  Gen.  King,  and  of  the  divisions  of  McCall 
and  Franklin.  So  we  became  a  part  of  the  First  Army  Corps, 
which,  now  that  it  had  been  determined  to  advance  upon  Rich 
mond  by  the  way  of  the  peninsula  between  the  York  and  the 
James,  was  supposed  to  be  destined  to  cover  the  national  capi 
tal,  advance  to  the  Rappahannock  and  Rapidan,  and  perhaps  in 
J:ime  reach  and  join  McClellan's  force,  which  would  then  be  oper 
ating  south  of  the  Pamunkey. 

****** 

On  the  night  of  the  5th  of  April,  Franklin's  division,  then  of  the 
First  Corps,  was  in  the  huts  on  Centreville  Heights  ;   the  baked 


28  THE     STORY    OF    THE 

clay  of  the  fireplaces  was  made  to  crack  with  the  heat  of  the  rous 
ing  fires  which  the  cold,  night  winds  made  extremely  welcome. 
The  comfortable  night's  sojourn  in  this  quondam  Confederate  can 
tonment  was  a  pleasant  episode  in  our  first  severe  march.  The 
frost  was  working  out  of  the  red  clay  soil  of  this  region,  and  the 
march  of  artillery  was  not  made  with  such  celerity  as  in  later  times 
in  that  year,  and  advancing  too,  it  proved  possible  of  attaining. 
Yet  somehow  on  the  6th,  it  cut  its  way  through  the  mud  and  the 
mire  to  Blackburn's  Ford  on  Bull  Run,  crossed  the  tottering  tem 
porary  bridge  which  had  there  been  constructed,  and  drew  over 
the  broken  land  and  plain  to  Manassas  Junction. 

Those  were  three  days  fraught  with  interest  which  we  spent  in 
the  village  of  log  houses  at  the  Junction,  examining  the  abun 
dant  evidences  of  Confederate  military  architecture,  field-works 
and  barracks,  and  unearthing  many  a  relic  of  their  winter's 
sojourn  at  this  place. 

We  remember  a  quantity  of  wheat  that  some  one  discovered, 
which,  though  a  trifle  garlicky,  nevertheless  made  a  palatable 
mess  of  pottage,  being  boiled,  and  served  as  rice  often  is. 

The  railroad  to  this  station  seemed  now  in  running  order,  for 
troops,  infantry,  at  least,  continued  to  alight  at  this  point  from 
platform  cars  that  came  from  the  direction  of  Alexandria,  soon 
after  our  arrival  hither.  A  storm,  a  genuine  nor' wester,  set  in 
on  the  8th,  in  the  midst  of  which  we  abandoned  the  quite  com 
fortable  cabins  at  Manassas,  and  pushed  on  toward  Bristow,  the 
wind  and  sleet  accompanying  us  and  furnishing  lively  entertain 
ment. 

Then,  before  noon,  we  had  snow  for  further  variety,  and  it  would 
encrust  itself  beautifully  upon  our  ponchas,  giving  us  a  celestial 
appearance.  But  the  air  nipped  "  shrewdly,"  and  you  may  be  sure 
that  it  was  a  cold,  damp,  numb  set  of  boys  that  were  drawn  up  on 
the  north  side  of  Broad  Run  on  that  evening  ;  besides,  we  were 
short  of  rations,  and  had  no  shelter.  Yet  as  some  philosophic 
comrade  observed,  "  There  is  no  situation  so  bad  that  it  might  not 
be  worse  ; "  and  our  stomachs  were  toned  with  a  dose  of  quinine 
per  man,  which  was  administered  by  a  hospital  steward  who  had 
the  most  brilliant  carmine  beak  that  we  ever  beheld  off  the  stage. 
Some  one  said  he  was  a  very  clever  chap,  which  a  listener  allowed 
might  be  true ;  but  said  he,  "He  never  supports  that  nose  on  cold 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  29 

water."  After  each  one  had  partaken  a  taste  of  this  specific  pre 
ventive  of  chills  and  fever,  and  we  had  again  assembled  in  line, 
the  officer  of  the  day  informed  us  that  three  of  the  tents  that 
had  been  used  by  the  non-commissioned  staff  and  for  a  guard 
house,  or  perhaps  one  of  them  for  officers'  quarters,  had  been 
assigned  to  us  ;  so,  procuring  some  straw  in  the  vicinity,  the  hun 
dred  and  fifty  men,  more  or  less,  minus  the  guard  which  had  been 
detailed,  were  billeted  in  these  somewhat  close  quarters  ;  but  they 
lay  snug  and  warm,  if  somewhat  cramped,  the  various  reliefs  crawl 
ing  out  of  the  different  masses  of  humanity  as  the  corporal's  lan 
tern  was  flashed  in  their  faces  at  different  stated  times  during  the 
night.  We  melted  a  goodly  patch  of  snow,  here  and  there,  that 
night,  with  the  bonfires  which  we  kept  burning ;  but  one's  back 
would  chill,  while  his  legs  and  chest  were  perspiring,  as  he  stood 
beside  the  blaze. 

In  the  afternoon  on  the  following  day  we  forded  Broad  Run  and 
were  nearing  Bristow  station,  when  in  obedience  to  orders  we 
countermarched,  returned  to  the  north  side  of  the  river,  and 
marched  at  as  good  pace  as  the  condition  of  the  fields  permitted, 
toward  Manassas.  One  says,  "  We  are  going  to  join  McClellan 
before  Yorktown."  Two  days  later,  we  were  near  Cloud's  Mills 
and  approaching  Alexandria. 


30  THE    STORY    OF    THE 


ROSTER. 


GEN.  W.  B.  FRANKLIN'S  DIVISION. 
Autumn  and  winter  of  1861. 


CAVALRY. 
COL.  MCWILLIAMS,  ist  New  York  Volunteers  (Lincoln  Cavalry). 

INFANTRY. 

First  Brigade. — GEN.  H.  W.  SLOCUM,  i6th  New  York,  2;th  New  York,  5th 
Maine,  96th  Pennsylvania. 

Second  Brigade.— GEN.  JNO.  NEWTON,  i8th  New  York,  3ist  New  York,  320! 
New  York,  95th  Pennsylvania  (Gosline  Zouaves). 

Third  Brigade. — GEN.  PHILIP  KEARNEY,  ist,  2d,  3d,  and  4th  New  Jersey 
Volunteers. 

ARTILLERY. 

Platt's  Battery  D,  id  United  States,  6  Napoleon  Guns. 
Porter's  A,  Massachusetts,  4  lo-pd.  Parrott  Guns;  2  i2-pd.  Howitzer  Guns. 
Hexamer's  A,  New  Jersey,  4  lo-pd.  Parrott  Guns;  2  12-pd.  Howitzer  Guns. 
Wilsorfs  F,  New  York,  4  3-in.  Ordnance  Guns. 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT    BATTERY.  31 


CHAPTER  II. 


REACHING  Alexandria  at  nightfall  we  encamped  in  the  old 
town,  on  a  waste  tract  which  sloped  from  the  Cloud's  Mills 
road  toward  Hunting  Creek.  On  the  south  side  of  this  old  pike, 
under  the  guns  of  Fort  Ellsworth,  nearly  opposite  the  old  slave 
mart,  whose  warehouse  and  dismal  pen  had  served  during  the  pre 
vious  winter  respectively  for  guardhouse  and  prison  of  the  pro 
vost,  we  tarried  three  days  while  arrangements  were  perfected 
for  our  embarkation  and  departure. 

As  the  paymaster  appeared  upon  the  day  following  our  arrival, 
the  camp  soon  presented  a  curious  scene  to  an  observer,  who 
might  have  witnessed  incidents  suggestive  of  a  country  fair, —  the 
boys  in  groups  surrounding  venders  of  sundry  wares,  purchasing 
of  the  dealers  or  chaffing  and  badgering  them.  "  Variety  is  the 
spice  of  life,"  and  doubtless  the  bold  soldier  boys  realized  that  the 
modification  of  the  regular  camp  diet  by  the  pies,  cakes,  choco 
late,  and  beer,  and  the  furbishing  of  old  jokes  and  games,  or  the 
institution  of  new  ones,  imparted  piquancy  to  the  brief  enjoyment 
of  the  halt  by  the  old  slave-pen.  Whiskey  enjoys  the  bad  eminence 
of  exaggerating  the  idiosyncracies  of  individuals,  more  than  any 
other  alcoholic  beverage  :  if,  for  example,  an  individual  is  naturally 
deficient  in  judgment  when  sober,  so  that  he  might  chance  to  under 
take  an  impracticable  enterprise,  only  dimly  perceiving  the  difficul 
ties  attending  its  execution,  under  the  influence  of  half  a  pint  of 
whiskey  not  a  vestige  of  these  difficulties  remains  to  him  ;  he  essays 
his  task  with  sublime  self-confidence.  We  noticed  during  our  stay 
here,  an  artilleryman  of  one  of  the  corps  in  town  at  the  time, 
fruitlessly  endeavoring  to  drive  a  pair  of  horses,  one  of  which  he 
was  riding,  through  the  door  of  a  grocery  store.  No  doubt  the 
width  of  the  aperture  seemed  ample  for  the  purpose.  A  comrade 


32  THE    STORY     OF    THE 

who  observed  the  attempt,  said  that  he  himself,  when  in  a  similar 
condition,  had  driven  a  team  down  a  flight  of  steps  in  a  court  lead 
ing  from  one  street  to  another  in  a  northern  city.  He  declared 
that  the  descent  seemed  to  him  at  the  time  only  a  gentle  slope. 

On  a  bright,  balmy  April  afternoon,  characteristic  of  that 
month  in  eastern  Virginia,  we  broke  camp,  moving  through  the 
town,  passing  the  Marshall  house  where  Ellsworth  fell,  and  Sut- 
tles's  warehouse,  whence  Anthony  Burns,  a  few  years  before,  fled 
from  servitude ;  we  embarked  from  a  wharf  east  of  the  warehouse. 
Our  commander  and  his  lieutenants  sailed  in  a  steamboat  which 
bore  our  pieces  and  caissons,  and  convoyed  a  fore  and  aft  schooner 
which  carried  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates,  and  on 
whose  decks  our  horses  were  picketed  from  the  galley  to  the  fore 
castle.  In  the  hold  where  we  slept  were  also  hay  and  grain  for 
our  steeds,  rations  for  the  boys,  and  some  ammunition.  Scarcely 
a  ripple  stirred  the  bosom  of  the  Potomac  where  in  its  course  it 
skirts  the  old  town.  Below  the  town,  where  Hunting  Creek  enters, 
its  waters  are  agitated  by  the  contribution  of  those  of  that  tributary. 
Now  on  our  right  was  Fort  Lyons,  whose  embankment  enclosed 
nine  acres,  whose  guns  commanded  the  water-route  to  the  capital, 
and  the  contiguous  land  approaches.  On  our  left  were  the  fortifi 
cations  of  the  Maryland  shore. 

On  we  sped  by  Vernon's  sacred  banks,  a  passing  glance  at 
mansion  and  tomb  being  vouchsafed  to  us ;  by  Aquia  Creek  and 
old  Fort  Washington,  which  we  were  destined  more  than  once  in 
our  career  to  repass.  Passing  upon  our  left  Budd's  Ferry,  twenty- 
two  miles  below  Alexandria,  where  were  quartered  during  the 
winter  of  1861  the  First  and  Eleventh  Massachusetts  Volunteers, 
we  pursued  our  course  during  the  night  down  the  historic  river, 
ever  widening  in  its  path  to  the  Chesapeake. 

Morning  found  us  ploughing  the  waves  of  the  bay,  in  a  damp, 
misty  atmosphere.  At  daybreak  there  was  a  thin  fog  which  in  an 
hour  was  burned  off  by  the  sun  ;  then  followed  a  variable  April 
morning,  with  sunshine  and  shower,  the  air  being  sufficiently  clear 
to  allow  us  to  see  upon  the  shore  the  peach  blossoms  which  curi 
ously,  to  our  New  England  eyes,  were  already  unfolded  upon 
thousands  of  branches. 

At  a  point  on  the  Virginia  shore  below  the  mouth  of  the  York, 
perhaps  one  fourth  of  the  distance  from  that  river  to  Fortress  Mon- 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  33 

roe,  is  an  inlet  called  Poquosin  River.  This  indentation,  which  has 
a  nearly  southern  trend,  is  flanked  upon  the  east  by  a  headland 
called  Ship  Point.  In  this  bay  and  off  this  peninsula  we  anchored 
on  the  2/th  of  April.  The  shores  of  the  bay  are  low  and  flat, 
the  adjacent  waters  are  comparatively  shallow.  There  were  no 
wharves  or  piers  built  out  upon  the  soft  marl  of  the  flats.  Our 
debarkation  was  effected  upon  the  following  day  by  means  of 
scows  or  coal  hulks,  a  series  of  which  were  moored  broadside  to 
broadside  from  the  shore  to  deep  water,  thus  forming  a  roadway 
from  ship  to  shore.  When  our  carriages  and  camp  equipage  had 
been  landed,  our  horses  having  previously  been  led  ashore,  we 
harnessed  up  and  moved  into  camp  upon  the  gray  plain  hard  by. 

Yorktown,  the  first  objective  point  of  McClellan's  expedition, 
which  had  preceded  us  some  three  weeks  from  Alexandria  and  had 
landed  at  Fortress  Monroe,  lay  to  the  northwest  of  our  camp, 
across  Warwick  Creek,  which  runs  abreast  of  the  town  nearly 
across  the  peninsula. 

On  the  west  side  of  this  stream,  occupying  a  line  eleven  miles 
long,  strongly  entrenched,  was  Gen.  Magruder,  having  under  his 
command  a  force  variously  stated,  from  5,000  to  13,000  men. 

McClellan  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  east  bank  of  this  stream 
April  4,  1862.  He  seems  to  have  employed  the  succeeding  thirty 
days  in  planting  breaching  batteries,  and  in  placing  in  position 
heavy  guns  which  had  been  ordered  from  Washington.  His  force 
must  have  been  100,000  strong,  for  58,000  preceded  him  to  Fort 
ress  Monroe,  and  as  many  more  soon  followed.  When  he 
was  ready  to  open  fire,  May  4,  it  was  found  Magruder  had 
retired.  The  division  commanded  by  Gen.  Wm.  B.  Franklin, 
during  the  brief  period  after  our  arrival  at  Ship  Point,  had  not 
moved  out  to  take  position  in  the  line  of  the  besieging  force. 

Our  battery  had  been  occupied  much  as  an  artillery  company 
in  camp  is  wont  to  be  :  there  were  battery  drills  at  stated  times, 
there  were  the  inevitable  fatigue  and  police  duty,  the  care  of  the 
horses,  and  the  moments  of  absolute  idleness.  The  drivers  will 
well  remember  daily  threading  the  mazes  of  the  swamp  thickets, 
distributing  by  three  pairs  and  four,  to  find  pools  for  watering  the 
horses.  A  facetious  comrade  relates,  that,  being  at  the  rear  of 
the  column  of  pairs  of  horses  in  charge  of  the  officer  of  the  day, 
he  found,  on  reaching  the  watering-place,  some  distance  from  the 

3 


34  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

road,  that  the  pools  of  water  were  all  in  the  possession  of  other 
pairs,  and  he  was  obliged  to  wait  until  some  had  withdrawn  to 
give  his  horses  an  opportunity.  By  the  time  his  steeds  had 
quenched  their  thirst,  the  other  drivers,  having  reached  the  road 
and  reformed,  were  on  the  return  to  camp.  Our  comrade  avers 
that  his  off  horse  was  so  enraged  at  finding  himself  thus  deserted 
by  his  fellow  equines,  that  he  set  off  at  a  gallop,  and  the  driver, 
vainly  endeavoring  to  hold  him  in,  was  obliged  to  spur  on  the 
saddle  horse,  so  they  made  rapid  progress  for  a  few  rods.  Round 
ing  a  curve  in  the  wooded  road,  the  lieutenant,  who  was  in 
ambush  there,  lurking  to  intercept  any  one  who  might  be  running 
his  horses,  hailed  him,  saying :  "  I  've  caught  youj ;  report  to  me 
when  you  have  picketed  your  horses  ;  you  shall  ride  the  harness- 
pole  for  this.  "  The  officer  then  trotted  along  to  camp,  leaving 
the  driver  following.  The  latter,  reaching  the  picket-rope  and  hitch 
ing  his  horses,  perceived  that  his  superior  was  about  to  sit  down 
to  dinner ;  doubting  the  propriety  of  intruding  upon  the  officers' 
mess,  and  deeming  that  his  offence  would  be  treated  more  len 
iently  after  the  officer's  appetizing  meal,  he  deferred  reporting 
till  after  dinner.  The  result  fully  justified  the  conclusion  he  had 
reached  as  to  the  mollifying  effect  of  a  full  stomach  ;  for  after 
dinner,  the  lieutenant  listened  placidly  to  the  man's  explanation 
of  the  dust-raising,  and  dismissed  him  with  an  admonition,  in  lieu 
of  the  harness-pole. 

Both  cannoneers  and  drivers  will  recall  the  bathing  in  the  bay, 
and  the  gathering  of  oysters  from  the  flats. 

We  were  upon  parade,  Sunday  forenoon,  May  4,  when  a  gen 
eral's  orderly  approached  Capt.  Platt,  Company  D,  Second  United 
States  Artillery,  chief  of  the  artillery  brigade  of  our  division. 
After  a  moment's  interval,  the  latter  rode  up  to  Capt.  Porter,  who 
was  in  position  in  front  of  his  company  ;  some  words  were  ex 
changed,  and  Capt.  Platt  rode  away.  Our  commander  turned  to 
his  chiefs  of  sections,  and  with  a  smile  exclaimed  :  "  Yorktown's 
evacuated  !  By  piece  from  the  right,  front  into  column  !  "  The 
remainder  of  the  day  was  a  busy  season,  being  steadily  employed 
in  embarking  the  army  corps  upon  such  transports  of  various 
kinds  suitable  for  the  different  arms  of  the  service,  as  were  avail 
able  at  this  time  and  place.  It  was  after  nightfall  and  quite 
dark  when  the  last  of  our  horses  was  picketed  upon  the  deck  of 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  35 

one  of  the  old  barges,  to  which  we  have  alluded  as  having  been  used 
on  our  arrival  for  the  improvisation  of  wharves.  The  uneasiness 
of  the  horses  and  the  occasional  breaking  loose  of  an  animal ;  the 
breathless  curiosity  of  the  men  as  to  the  destination  of  the  corps ; 
the  dark  haze  through  which  surrounding  objects  were  dimly 
viewed,  — all  tended  to  make  the  half  hour  preceding  our  depart 
ure  a  singularly  impressive  period  in  our  history  as  a  company. 
But  the  calm  bearing  and  kindly  manner  of  Col.  Richard  Arnold, 
Fifth  United  States  Artillery,  then  inspector  general  of  the 
corps,  who  superintended  the  embarkation  of  the  artillery  and 
its  disposition  on  the  transports,  were  inspirational,  and  the  details 
were  completed  with  surprising  absence  of  friction,  and  without 
apparent  difficulty. 

Whither  were  we  bound  ?  Northward  first,  since  our  initial 
movement  was  in  that  direction.  Later,  we  seemed  to  be  leaving 
the  Chesapeake.  It  must  be  York  River  that  we  have  entered. 
Daylight  removed  any  doubt  that  might  have  been  entertained  as 
to  our  whereabouts.  And  what  a  picture  presented  itself  from 
the  deck  of  any  one  of  our  transports, —  the  central  feature  being 
the  motley  array  of  crafts  :  grim  black  gunboats  with  frowning 
cannon,  steamboats  convoying  schooners  and  barges  at  the  end 
of  long  cables,  upon  the  broad  river  which  extended  before  and 
behind  us  like  an  inland  lake,  whose  northern  shore  was  a  shifting 
panorama  of  undulating,  verdant  plantation  and  village,  in  sharp 
contrast  to  the  nearer  southern  bank  with  its  bluffs,  now  bare, 
now  crowned  with  growth  of  wood.  At  this  moment  over  and 
beyorid  these  bluffs,  half-way  to  the  James,  where  McClellan's 
advance  had  been  stopped  near  Williamsburg  by  works  called 
Fort  Magruder,  Gen.  Hooker's  division  was  in  action,  stoutly 
resisted  by  Magruder's  force.  Ultimately  the  Confederate  posi 
tion  was  flanked  by  Gen.  Hancock  of  Sumner's  corps.  But  dur 
ing  nine  hours,  while  we  were  sailing  up  the  York,  the  ever  brave 
men  of  Hooker's  command,  among  whom  were  the  First  and 
Eleventh  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  fought  desperately  and 
lost  heavily ;  the  Federal  loss  during  the  day  is  said  to  have  been 
2,228.  Magruder  retired  during  the  night,  leaving  700  of  his 
severely  wounded.  The  direction  of  his  retreat  would  be  neces 
sarily  northwest. 

At  sunset,  when  we   approached  the  right  bank  of  the  York, 


36  THE    STORY    OF    THE 

near  the  mouth  of  the  Pamunkey,  the  gunboats  having  anchored 
somewhat  below  the  point  whither  our  transports  were  tending, 
the  forces  must  still  have  been  engaged  at  William sburg.  It 
would  then  seem  that  the  object  of  the  expedition  up  the  York, 
and  the  engagement  of  Franklin's  division  the  next  day,  on  the 
right  bank  of  that  river,  must  have  been  to  intercept  the  Confed 
erate  force  retiring  from  Yorktown,  and  to  form  a  junction  with 
McClellan's  main  army.  A  conversation  audible  to  men  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  speakers,  between  Gen.  Franklin  on  the  side  of  a 
steamboat  and  Col.  Arnold  on  a  barge  alongside,  rendered  it  prob 
able  to  listeners  that  up  to  that  moment  no  scheme  for  landing 
the  artillery  had  been  projected,  unless  in  the  mind  of  the  colonel. 
But  he  proved  himself  then  and  afterward  fertile  in  expedients, 
and  he  briefly  detailed  to  his  chief  the  main  particulars  of  a  plan 
which  was  subsequently  carried  out. 

Now  we  saw  from  one  of  the  foremost  vessels,  infantry  and 
engineers  landed  in  boats  ;  the  latter  doubtless  opened  the  inclined 
pathway  up  the  side  of  the  bluff.  We  saw  later,  cavalry  horses  let 
over  the  side  of  a  vessel  and  taken  one  after  another  to  the  shore ; 
so  this  arm  of  our  corps  must  have  been  upon  the  plateau  early 
in  the  evening,  and  have  been  deployed  from  the  Pamunkey  across 
to  the  York,  where  the  gunboats  lay. 

Gradually  the  barges  were  moved  into  position  as  at  Ship  Point, 
so  that,  the  infantry  having  gone  ashore  during  the  night,  the 
guns,  caissons,  and  all  the  wagons  were  landed. 

At  daybreak,  our  carriages,  being  upon  the  beach,  were  drawn 
up  the  side  of  the  bluff,  several  pairs  of  horses  other  than  those 
usually  attached  to  each  piece  or  caisson,  being  required  for  the 
purpose;  this  business  was  speedily  despatched,  when  " Boots  and 
saddles  ! "  was  heard.  We  marched  to  the  east,  leaving  the  Pamun 
key  behind  us,  having  the  York  upon  our  left,  and  before  us  across 
the  open  country  was  a  thick  wood. 

Seemingly  in  less  than  one  half-hour  we  were  in  position  with 
infantry,  and  more  artillery  upon  our  right  and  left,  and  were 
ordered  to  shell  the  wood  in  our  front.  While  our  guns  were 
thus  engaged,  the  gunboats  in  the  York  were  sending  through 
the  air  their  huge  projectiles,  which  sounded  in  their  course  like 
the  thundering  noise  of  a  heavy  freight  train.  After  an  interval 
of  rapid  firing,  during  which  time  a  captain  of  infantry  with  his 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  37 

company  reported  to  Capt.  Porter  under  orders  to  support  our  bat 
tery,  our  captain  directing  him  as  to  the  disposal  of  his  men,  we 
were  ordered  to  cease  firing. 

Breakfast  had  now  been  sent  us  from  the  landing.  Later,  fir 
ing  was  resumed  at  intervals.  We  occasionally  saw  ambulances 
coming  from  the  direction  of  the  wood,  with  their  burdens.  Some 
times  a  wounded  soldier  appeared,  supported  by  two  comrades  ; 
this  practice,  we  fancy,  was  not  long  suffered  to  obtain.  We  re 
tained  our  position  till  night.  This  was  the  first  time  our  guns 
had  been  pointed  at  the  enemy,  and  though  he  was  invisible  to  us, 
never  having  reached  our  line,  the  innermost  one,  our  company 
did  all  that  it  was  commanded  to  do.  The  Federal  loss  in  this 
affair  is  said  to  have  been  200. 

We  encamped  May  7,  1862,  in  a  meadow  four  or  five  miles 
northwest  of  our  position,  on  the  day  of  the  engagement,  and 
relatively  farther  up  the  Pamunkey.  On  the  following  day,  offi 
cers  and  men  were  gladdened  by  the  sight,  in  camp,  of  Massachu 
setts  soldiers  of  other  commands,  which  had  now  reached  this 
vicinity ;  for  example,  some  officers  and  men  of  the  Eighteenth 
and  Twenty-second  Volunteers.  No  doubt  much  correspondence, 
detailing  the  past  incidents  of  their  campaign,  was  indulged  in  by 
the  privates,  and  perhaps  by  the  officers.  To-day  we  received 
notice  of  the  organization  of  the  Sixth  Army  Corps.  We  were 
now  about  thirty-five  miles  east  of  Richmond.  Our  next  move 
ment  was  to  Brick  House  Landing,  upon  the  Pamunkey. 

The  boys  were  in  excellent  health  and  spirits ;  the  cheeks  of 
most  of  them  were  ruddy  and  bronzed  ;  their  countenances  bespoke 
hope  and  confidence.  Undoubtedly  they  seemed  capable  of  making 
more  fatiguing  marches,  and  of  enduring  greater  hardships  than 
had  yet  been  required  of  them.  For  though  a  majority  of  the  com 
mand  were  boys  in  years,  we  question  if  there  were,  as  a  whole,  a 
hardier  body  of  soldiers  in  the  First  Division  of  the  Sixth  Army 
Corps.  The  hopefulness  and  the  general  contentment  grew  out  of 
a  nearly  universal  confidence  in  our  commander  and  his  lieutenants. 

The  boys  will  remember  the  somewhat  exciting  sport,  incident 
to  pig-hunting  and  slaying  in  the  reedy,  sedgy,  muddy  marsh, 
along  the  Pamunkey,  at  the  rear  of  Brick  House,  —  unfortunate 
porkers,  victims  first  of  surprise,  then  of  assault,  and  finally  of  the 
frying-pan  or  the  camp-kettle. 


38  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

It  was  during  our  halt  previous  to  marching  to  Brick  House, 
when,  as  we  have  remarked,  comrades  of  the  Eighteenth  and 
Twenty-second  Massachusetts  were  in  our  camp,  that  McClellan's 
main  army  in  its  advance  from  Yorktown  had  reached  a  point 
near  Roper's  Church  on  the  Williamsburg  and  Richmond  road. 
These  men  belonged  to  Gen.  Porter's  Corps  (Fifth),  which,  with 
the  corps  of  Generals  Sumner  and  Franklin  (Sixth),  was  to  form 
the  right  wing  and  to  proceed  by  the  way  of  Cumberland  and  of 
Whitehouse  on  the  Pamunkey,  striking  the  Chickahominy  at  New 
Bridge,  while  the  left  wing,  consisting  of  the  corps  of  Heintzel- 
man  and  Keyes,  kept  the  Richmond  road  .to  Bottom's  Bridge 
farther  down  the  Chickahominy  Swamp. 

During  the  next  eight  or  nine  days  the  advance  guards  reached 
these  points,  May  16,  17,  1862.  The  First  Division  of  the  Sixth 
Corps,  consisting  of  twelve  regiments  of  infantry,  a  regiment  of 
cavalry  and  four  batteries,  one  of  which  was  the  First  Massachu 
setts,  about  the  i/th  of  May  was  passing  Whitehouse,  hard  by  the 
landing  which  was  to  be  our  depot  of  supplies  until  the  change  of 
base. 

Those  in  the  column  who  were  familiar  with  the  story  of  Martha 
Custis  and  Washington's  wooing,  doubtless  looked  with  interest 
upon  the  weatherworn  and  decaying  building ;  but  we  fancy  that  a 
livelier  attraction  for  the  mass  of  the  boys  as  they  moved  by  in  col 
umn,  presented  itself  in  a  unique  group  of  children,  perched  upon 
the  fence  in  front  of  the  mansion  ;  the  little  elves  actually  had 
red,  curly  hair,  along  with  mulatto  features  and  complexion. 
Here  was  a  strange  phase  of  physical  evolution  occurring  amid 
the  direful  revolution  of  the  social  system  which  produced  these 
little  creatures. 

Our  next  camp  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Cold  Harbor.  The  boys 
can  see  it  now  :  a  tract  of  ground  sloping  northerly  from  the  road 
down  to  a  swamp,  in  the  edge  of  which  was  a  spring  ;  stunted 
pines  grew  here  and  there  in  a  sterile  soil.  Two  years  leatr  we 
struck  the  same  ground  and  spent  the  night  there.  We  thus 
anticipate,  for  comrades  noticed  the  coincidence  in  1864. 

By  the  2Oth  or  2ist  of  May  we  had  advanced  to  Games'  Farm. 
This  place  is  nearly  due  west  of  Cold  Harbor,  on  a  broken 
plateau  between  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Chickahominy  and 
Pamunkey;  it  lies  east  of  north  from  Richmond,  on  the  road 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  39 

leading  from  Bottom's  Bridge  up  the  Chickahominy  via  Cold 
Harbor  to  Mechanicsville,  thence  to  Hanover  court-house. 

At  this  time  Gen.  Naglee's  brigade  of  Keyes's  corps  crossed  the 
Chickahominy  near  Bottom's  Bridge  and  pushed  forward  without 
serious  opposition  to  within  two  miles  of  the  James,  and  within 
the  next  five  days  the  entire  left  wing  of  the  army  occupied 
selected  positions  upon  the  south  side  of  the  river.  On  the 
25th  Keyes's  corps  was  one  mile  in  front  of  Savage's  Station, 
which  is  on  the  York  River  Railroad.  Keyes's  position  was  forti 
fied.  Three  days  later,  Casey's  division  of  the  Fourth  Corps 
moved  to  a  line  which  extended  through  a  point  one  half  mile 
beyond  Seven  Pines,  where  a  new  line  of  rifle-pits  was  commenced 
and  timber  felled  in  front  of  it.  This  corps,  the  Fourth,  therefore, 
was  not  only  on  the  extreme  left,  but  occupied,  at  this  moment, 
the  most  advanced  position  in  McClellan's  line.  The  Third  Corps, 
which  had  been  moved  to  a  position  within  supporting  distance 
of  the  Fourth,  was  in  the  rear  of  the  latter.  It  was  the  advanced 
and  seemingly  isolated  situation  of  the  Fourth  that  doubtless  led 
to  the  Confederate  attack  three  days  after  Casey's  advance. 

Between  one  and  two  P.  M.,  May  31,  Naglee's  brigade,  after  a 
spirited  defence,  was  forced  back  from  its  position  toward  Seven 
Pines,  by  a  division  of  the  Confederate  force  which  attacked  it 
early  after  noon.  A  heavy  rain  fell  the  day  before,  swelling  the 
waters  of  the  several  channels  into  which  the  swamp-creek  is 
divided,  and  rendering  the  roads  in  the  vicinity  difficult  of 
passage.  A  messenger  who  was  sent  to  the  commander  of  the 
left  wing,  Gen.  Heintzelman,  is  said  to  have  been  delayed  so  that 
it  was  five  o'clock  before  Kearney's  division  arrived,  and  after 
dark  before  the  arrival  of  Gen.  Hooker  from  White  Oak  Swamp. 

During  these  days,  while  the  movements  of  the  left  wing  upon 
the  south  side  of  the  river  were  conspiring  to  bring  about  the 
battles  of  Seven  Pines  and  Fair  Oaks  in  which  they  culminated, 
the  right  wing  was  still  upon  the  north  side,  Sumner's  Corps 
being  upon  the  left  of  Franklin,  six  miles  above  Bottom's  Bridge. 
This  force  consisted  of  the  divisions  of  Generals  Sedgwick  and 
Richardson,  each  division  having  a  bridge  over  the  stream  opposite 
its  position. 

At  two  o'clock  on  the  3ist,  these  troops  were  ordered  to 
cross  without  delay,  and  they  immediately  pushed  forward  to  the 


40  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

support  of  Gen.  Heintzelman.  In  the  meantime  Naglee's  brigade, 
reinforced  by  artillery  under  Col.  Bailey  and  by  a  part  of  Peck's 
brigade,  had  been  again  forced  back  by  overpowering  numbers, 
and,  after  a  gallant  struggle,  beyond  the  position  in  the  morning  of 
the  troops  commanded  by  Gen.  Couch,  which  was  far  in  Naglee's 
rear,  and  at  this  moment  it  was  learned  that  a  heavy  column  of  Con 
federates  was  marching  toward  Fair  Oaks  station.  This  column 
was  engaged  by  Gen.  Couch  with  a  portion  of  his  division  of 
Keyes's  corps,  but  he  was  obliged  to  fall  back  one  half  mile ;  here 
learning  of  Sumner's  approach,  he  at  once  formed  a  line  facing 
Fair  Oaks  and  prepared  to  hold  it.  It  was  now  five  P.  M.;  brave, 
impetuous  Kearney  now  arrived  before  Seven  Pines,  deployed  a 
brigade  to  the  left  so  as  to  have  a  flank  fire  upon  the  Confederate 
lines,  which  retarded  the  pursuit  in  that  direction,  held  the  posi 
tion  until  after  dark,  then,  being  separated  by  its  movement  from 
the  main  body,  the  brigade  fell  back,  circuitously,  the  commander 
bringing  the  force  in  good  order  within  the  Federal  lines.  At 
six  o'clock  Gen.  Sumner  reached  Gen.  Couch's  position,  with 
Sedgwick's  division  ;  before  his  arrival,  Gen.  Devens,  from  the 
centre  of  Couch's  line,  made  gallant  efforts  to  regain  portions  of 
the  lost  ground.  The  road  was  so  muddy  that  only  one  battery 
of  Sedgwick's  division  (Kirby's)  could  be  got  in  position ;  the 
First  Minnesota  being  detailed  for  protection  of  the  flank,  the 
remaining  infantry  of  the  division  was  formed  in  line  with  the 
aforesaid  battery  in  the  centre.  Now  a  tremendous  fire  was 
opened  by  the  Confederates  all  along  the  line,  and  charges  were 
made  by  them,  though  repulsed  with  heavy  loss  upon  our  side.  At 
length  Gen.  Sumner  ordered  a  charge,  which  was  made  with  such 
vim  and  effectiveness  that  the  opposing  force  was  driven  in 
disorder  from  his  front.  It  is  said  that  it  was  at  this  moment 
that  Gen.  Joe  Johnston  was  wounded.  Sumner's  other  division 
now  appeared  upon  the  scene,  but  night  brought  cessation  from 
further  strife  on  this  day. 

During  the  night,  Kearney's,  Couch's,  and  a  portion  of  Casey's 
division  were  massed' in  the  rifle-pits  on  the  left,  at  Seven  Pines, 
Hooker  bivouacked  in  their  rear.  Sedgwick  remained  relatively 
in  the  same  position  as  at  dark ;  all  his  artillery  that  could  be 
moved  was  brought  up,  and  Richardson  was  placed  on  his  left  to  con 
nect  with  Kearney.  French's  brigade  was  placed  along  the  rail- 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  4! 

road.  Howard's  brigade  formed  a  second  line,  and  the  Irish 
brigade,  a  third. 

How  at  five  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  June  I,  1862,  Confed 
erate  skirmishers  and  cavalry  appeared  in  front  of  Richardson  and 
were  repulsed ;  how  the  Confederates,  later,  came  on  in  full  force, 
approaching  rapidly  in  columns  of  attack,  supported  by  infantry  in 
line  of  battle  on  either  side,  appearing  determined  to  crush,  by  this 
signal  onslaught,  the  devoted  troops  that  withstood  them ;  how  the 
Federal  force  sustained  this  shock  as  an  immovable  wall ;  how  the 
indomitable  Hooker,  supported  by  Birney's  brigade,  attacking  from 
the  left  with  two  regiments,  pushed  the  Confederates  before  him, 
and  a  final  charge  being  ordered,  they  fled,  abandoning  their  arms ; 
and  finally  how  a  bayonet  charge  from  the  right,  led  by  Gen. 
French,  completed  the  discomfiture  of  the  Confederates, —  are 
well  known  to  the  country ;  the  result  of  all  this  being  that  our 
lines  were  re-established  in  their  position  of  the  3Oth.  If  an  oppor 
tunity  presented  itself  of  striking  a  decisive  blow  which  would 
have  given  us  the  Confederate  capital,  it  was  not  seized.  The 
most  trustworthy  accounts  make  the  loss  on  either  side  between 
five  and  six  thousand. 

Why  the  Sixth  and  Fifth  Corps,  mustering  more  than  30,000  men, 
were  not  brought  from  the  north  side  of  the  river,  has  never  been 
explained.  The  former,  at  the  time  Sumner  crossed  the  river,  lay 
upon  his  right ;  the  first  division  at  Games'  Farm.  Here  was  a 
hospital,  in  which  were  Confederate  wounded,  some  of  them 
severely  injured,  lying  upon  cots ;  others,  whose  condition  was  less 
serious,  might  be  seen  sitting  about.  They  were  physically  a 
splendid  set  of  men,  and  seemed  to  bear  their  misfortunes  and 
sufferings  with  admirable  fortitude.  We  recollect  particularly 
one  man  who  was  wounded  in  the  head,  whom  we  saw  lying  upon 
the  ground  in  the  shadow  of  an  old  barn ;  he  evidently  suffered 
great  pain,  but  not  a  groan  escaped  him ;  there  was  an  occasional 
grating  of  the  teeth,  nothing  more. 

At  this  time,  as  earlier  and  later,  from  Union  homes,  boxes 
containing  preserved  fruit,  salt  fish,  cakes,  cheese,  sometimes 
tobacco,  and  from  country  homes,  perhaps,  stockings  and  under 
wear,  would  reach  some  volunteer  father,  husband,  brother,  or 
son.  Often,  unfortunately,  the  contents  would  be  spoiled  by  ex 
posure  during  the  inevitable  delays  in  transporting  them  to  the 


42  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

front ;  but  when  they  arrived  in  good  condition,  it  was  pleasing 
to  see  the  generosity  which  prompted  the  recipients  to  share 
these  luxuries  from  home  with  their  comrades.  At  such  times  a 
flood  of  memories  of  the  fireside  would  arise,  and  an  interchange 
of  kindly  sentiment  would  occur,  that  would  soften  the  asperity 
of  camp  life,  and,  altogether,  cause  the  best  side  of  human  nature 
to  present  itself. 

The  management  of  the  commissariat  in  these  days  seemed 
susceptible  of  a  good  deal  of  improvement,  both  in  respect  to 
preserving  in  good  wholesome  condition  the  bread  and  meat,  and 
in  regularly  distributing  it  at  necessary  intervals.  We  shall  have 
occasion  to  contrast  unfavorably  the  seeming  inefficiency  of  the 
subsistence  department  in  this  period,  with  its  workings  at  a  later 
time,  when  we  were  cut  loose  from  our  base  of  supplies,  and  were 
provided  with  no  more  ample  means  of  transportation  than  in 
1862. 

Still,  the  very  annoyances  to  which  soldiers  were  subjected,  in 
the  way,  for  example,  of  bad  biscuit  or  defective  meat,  were  the 
means  of  developing  much  wit  and  linguistic  sprightliness  that 
otherwise  had  remained  dormant.  Some  wag  would  declare  that 
B.  C,  on  the  cracker-boxes  of  the  time,  denoted  that  the  hardtack 
was  made  before  the  Christian  era,  and  kindred  jokes  abounded 
at  the  expense  of  salt  junk  and  desiccated  vegetables.  So  also 
was  culinary  ingenuity  stimulated ;  a  variety  of  delectable  dishes 
resulted, —  army  scouse,  dingbats,  flippers,  succotash,  etc. 

Preventive  measures  enjoined  upon  the  commands  by  the  med 
ical  department,  and,  in  the  main,  well  carried  out,  in  regard  to 
cleanliness,  the  depth  of  sinks,  and  the  burial  of  offal,  were 
undoubtedly  instrumental  in  lessening,  comparatively,  the  disease 
and  mortality  rates  in  the  camps  along  the  Chickahominy  ;  but  the 
region  is  generally  miasmatic,  and  the  fact  that  the  manure  of  the 
plantations  had  been  dumped  in  the  runs  tributary  to  the  river, 
and  that  a  similar  disposition  was  made  of  that  which  accumulated 
in  the  corrals  of  the  army,  would  seem  to  indicate  that  immu 
nity  from  disease  must  have  been  purchased  by  great  vigilance  and 
care. 

Many  soldiers  will  recall  with  gratitude  the  gifts,  during  this 
and  later  periods,  of  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission; 
considering  the  peculiar  diet  of  the  men  during  the  peninsula 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  43 

campaign,  the  pickled  onions,  chow-chow,  and  other  anti-scorbutics 
sent  out  by  the  Commission,  were  very  valuable. 

But  this  particular  camp  of  our  company  at  Games'  Farm  was 
healthy,  despite  the  intensely  hot  weather  of  the  day  and  the 
damp  air  at  night.  It  was  high  and  dry,  and  there  was  an  abun 
dance  of  pure  water  at  hand.  Later  experience  in  the  swamps 
of  the  south  side  taught  us  to  set  a  reasonable  value  upon  this 
site,  as  well  as  upon  that  at  Mechanicsville,  to  which  place  we 
were  ordered  during  the  first  week  in  June.  This  place  is  five  or 
six  miles  farther  up  the  Chickahominy.  You  have  been  generally 
ascending  as  you  have  come  hither  from  Cold  Harbor,  crossing 
runs  which  make  their  way  through  winding  ravines  ;  each  cross 
ing  brings  you  to  a  ridge  relatively  higher  than  the  preceding. 
At  length,  crossing  the  road  which  intersects  the  Cold  Harbor 
road  and  which,  proceeding  to  the  bottom  lands,  leads  over 
Mechanicsville  Bridge,  you  have  before  you  and  at  your  left,  a  hill 
which  rises  up  boldly  from  the  south,  breaking  off  gently  toward 
the  Cold  Harbor  road  and  then  slightly  elevating  toward  the 
south  side  of  that  road.  The  section  between  the  brow  of  the 
hill  and  the  road  is  completely  masked  by  the  fore  ridge  and  a 
piece  of  wood  on  the  left.  In  front  of  the  ridge,  there  is  an  unob 
structed  view  for  three  miles  or  more,  through  an  open  country ; 
across  the  Chickahominy  one  sees  a  similar  ridge  confronting  the 
hill  on  which  he  stands.  The  blue  pickets  and  the  gray  are  ranged 
along  the  banks  of  this  sluggish  stream  on  their  respective  sides. 

On  this  elevation  our  guns  were  brought  into  position.  A 
redoubt  constructed  of  earth  and  rails  was  built  before  each 
piece.  The  work  of  placing  the  posts  and  rails,  and  of  throwing 
up  the  banks,  being  suitably  distributed  and  completed,  our  camp 
was  made  in  the  edge  of  the  woods  to  the  left  and  rear.  We 
rode  out  northwest  on  the  Hanover  road,  down  to  one  of  those 
runs  such  as  we  had  crossed  in  coming  hither,  to  water  our  horses; 
we  met  two  negroes  of  the  neighborhood  bearing  on  their  shoul 
ders  bags  of  hoe-cake  and  bacon,  which  we  purchased  of  them, 
the  rogues  asking  with  a  grin,  before  seeing  the  money,  if  it  was 
"silber."  The  hoe-cake  forcibly  suggested  cold,  unseasoned 
hasty  pudding.  Returning  to  camp,  there  was  a  little  leisure  to 
examine  a  long  and  very  tall  tobacco  shed,  which  we,  on  our 
arrival,  had  observed  near  the  road.  The  lower  story  seemed  to 


44  THE     STORY     OF    THE 

have  been  used  for  housing  carts  or  wagons.  Sixteen  feet  or 
more  from  the  ground  and  thence  to  the  gables,  there  were  beams 
or  stringers  crossing  at  different  stages  ;  these  in  turn  at  each  stage 
were  themselves  crossed  at  right  angles  by  rods  or  poles,  designed 
to  hold  the  little  shocks  of  tobacco  that  were  laid  astride  them. 

Whether  a  climb  among  the  upper  beams  would  reveal  any  of 
this  useful  article  was  immediately  tested,  and  soon  more  bunches 
of  clean,  dark  yellow,  pure  leaf  than  many  of  us  had  ever  seen 
before  were  brought  down,  and  eventually  wrought  into  cigars  and 
twists. 

It  was  on  the  afternoon  of  the  second  or  third  day  that  the 
guns  of  a  Confederate  earthwork  or  small  fort,  plainly  visible  on 
the  opposite  ridge,  began  to  play  upon  us,  throwing  shot  over  our 
guns  to  the  lower  ground,  where  were  our  shelters  and  baggage. 
The  detachments  were  immediately  called  to  their  guns,  which 
were  loaded,  and  the  compliments  of  our  friends  returned. 

The  aiming  of  our  guns,  and  the  firing,  were  under  the  direction 
of  Lieut.  Commanding  McCartney.  There  was  a  lively  inter 
change  of  civilities  for  a  half  hour.  The  shots  from  the  other  side, 
for  the  most  part,  passed  over  us,  striking  the  ground  in  the  rear. 
We  saw  two  of  the  shots  sent  by  our  guns,  when  aimed  by  the 
lieutenant  commanding,  fall,  as  it  appeared  to  us,  pat,  within  the 
Confederate  earthwork.  At  all  events,  after  the  shots  in  question 
from  our  side,  there  was  silence  on  the  other.  We  were  ordered 
to  cease  firing.  On  Sunday,  June  8,  on  the  ridge  across  the  river, 
to  the  east  of  the  earthwork,  there  was  a  continued  movement  of 
Confederate  troops  along  and  over  the  ridge,  which  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  Federal  troops  which  occupied  a  position  on  a 
hill  east  of  the  Mechanicsville  Bridge  road.  We  saw  a  crowd  of 
Federal  officers  and  soldiers  watching  from  this  hill  the  singular 
spectacle  across  the  swamp.  What  was  the  significance  of  it,  we 
never  knew.  It  did  not  immediately  result  in  any  change  of  posi 
tion  on  our  part.  It  has  been  conjectured  that  this  was  a  part  of 
an  ostentatious  movement  of  troops,  designed  to  convey  the  idea 
that  Jackson  was  to  be  reinforced  in  the  valley ;  while  really  Gen. 
Lee  was  contemplating  the  withdrawal  of  that  army  to  augment 
the  already  large  force  which,  drawn  from  the  seaboard  and  else 
where  in  Virginia,  he  concentrated,  with  Johnson's  army  for  a 
nucleus,  in  front  of  Richmond. 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  4$ 


ROSTER. 


SIXTH    ARMY  CORPS. 

MAJ.  GEN.  WILLIAM  B.  FRANKLIN,  Commanding. 
In  the  Peninsula  Campaign,  1862. 


FIRST  DIVISION. 

MAJ.  GEN.  H.  W.  SLOCUM,  Commanding. 

First  Brigade  — COL.  A.  T.  A.  TORBERT,  ist,  2d,  3d,  and  4th  New  Jersey 
Volunteers. 

Second  Brigade. —  COL.  J.  J.  BARTLETT,  i6th  and  zyth  New  York,  5th  Maine, 
and  96th  Pennsylvania. 

Third  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  JOHN  NEWTON,  i8th,  3ist,  and  32d  New  York 
Volunteers,  and  95th  Pennsylvania  (Gosline  Zouaves). 

ARTILLERY. 

Plait's  D,  id  United  States,  6  Napoleons. 

Porter's  A,  Massachusetts,  4  lo-pd.  Parrotts,  and  2  i2-pd.  Howitzers. 
Hexamer's  A,  ATew  Jersey,  4  jo-pd.  Parrotts,  and  2  12-pd.  Howitzers. 
Wilson's  F,  New  York,  4  3-inch  Ordnance  Guns. 

SECOND   DIVISION. 

MAJ.  GEX.  WILLIAM  F.  SMITH,  Commanding. 

First  Brigade.—  BRIG.  GEN.  W.  S.  HANCOCK,  5th  Wisconsin,  49th  Pennsyl 
vania,  43d  New  York,  6th  Maine. 

Second  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  W.  H.  BROOKS,  2d,  3d,  4th,  5th,  and  6th  Ver 
mont  Volunteers. 

Third  Brigade.—  BRIG.  GEN.  DAVIDSON,  33d,  77th,  49th  New  York  Volun 
teers,  and  7th  Maine  Volunteers. 

ARTILLERY. 

Ayres's  F,  $th  United  States,  4  zo-pd.  Parrotts,  and  2  Napoleons. 
Mott's  -^d  New  York  Battery,  4  lo-pd.  Parrotts,  and  2  Napoleons. 
Wheeler's  E,  \st  New  York,  4  3-inch  Ordnance  Guns. 
Kennedy's  \st  New  York  Battery,  6  3-inch  Ordnance  Guns. 


46  THE    STORY    OF    THE 


CHAPTER  III. 


NOTHING  unusual  occurred  until  the  middle  of  the  week, 
when  "  Boots  and  saddles  ! "  sounded,  and,  the  camp  being 
speedily  broken  up,  we  found  ourselves  moving  down  the  river 
toward  Cold  Harbor. 

During  the  previous  weeks,  the  engineer  corps  of  the  army  had 
been  busy  in  performing  various  works  which  the  wisdom  and 
skill  (conceded  by  the  military  world  to  be  profound)  of  the  chief 
of  engineers  had  planned.  One  phase  of  this  work  was  the  tres- 
tlework  bridges,  rendered  indispensable  because  the  wings  of  our 
army  were  separated  by  the  morass  of  the  Chickahominy.  There 
were  now  eleven  of  them,  seven  being  available  for  heavy  teams. 
One  of  these,  constructed  by  the  engineer  brigade  under  Gen. 
Woodbury  and  called  Woodbury's  Bridge,  completed,  we  believe, 
on  the  I4th  of  June,  we  crossed. 

We  desire  to  briefly  describe  this  triumph  of  military  engineer 
ing,  as  an  illustration  of  one  of  the  manifold  phases  of  talent  that 
were  utilized  by  the  government,  in  its  struggle  for  existence. 

The  approach  to  the  bridge  on  the  north  side  from  the  foot  of 
the  hill,  was  of  earth  raised  perhaps  three  feet,  deep  lateral  ditches 
being  made,  the  last  and  upper  stratum  of  earth  being  thrown 
upon  a  layer  of  brush.  There  were  perhaps  twenty  cribs  built 
upon  the  swampy  shore  and  into  the  stream,  and,  beyond  these, 
six  framed  trestles.  On  the  other  side  there  were  probably  twenty 
more  cribs,  or  firm,  compact  log  piers.  Stringers  extended  from 
cribs  to  trestles,  and  from  trestles  to  the  cribs  upon  the  other 
side  of  the  stream.  Upon  these  timbers,  for  the  floor  of  the 
bridge,  were  laid  logs  of  nearly  uniform  size,  and  these  were  bal 
lasted  on  either  hand  by  sticks  of  timber  which  extended  parallel 
with  the  stringers.  The  driveway  between  these  timbers,  which 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  47 

was  eleven  feet  wide,  was  covered  with  earth.  The  approach  to 
the  bridge  from  the  south  side  was  of  raised  corduroy.  The 
length  of  the  whole  structure,  including  the  approaches,  was  4,200 
feet.  The  length  of  the  bridge  proper  was  nearly  1,100  feet. 

Having  crossed,  we  moved  forward  over  the  corduroy,  through 
the  wood,  into  the  open  country.  The  surface,  as  you  proceed 
southerly  from  the  river,  varies  from  low  bottom  land  with  patches 
of  morass  to  undulating  swell ;  this  again  is  broken  by  shallow 
valleys,  through  which  sluggish  rivulets  flow,  fed  by  springs  along 
their  banks.  The  annual  slow  decay  of  the  rank  vegetation  on 
the  banks  of  these  low,  damp  water-courses,  which  were  the 
natural  outlets  of  the  drainage  of  the  camps,  contributed  to  make 
this  section  south  of  the  river  a  busy  place  for  the  hospital 
steward,  and  to  increase  the  number  of  respondents  to  sick-call. 
Into  this  region  we  were  now  moving,  and  an  observation  of  the 
infantry  and  artillery,  that  during  the  day  were  along  the  route 
with  us,  led  us  to  infer  that  the  remainder  of  the  right  wing  was 
being  brought  across  the  river.  This  inference  was,  however, 
hasty.  It  was  only  Franklin's  corps  ;  Porter's  remained  on  the 
left  bank  till  after  the  battle  of  Games'  Farm.  It  was  the  Sixth 
Army  Corps,  that  was  being  moved  out  to  positions  on  the  right 
of  the  advanced  forces,  which  had  been  for  weeks  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river.  In  the  disposition  of  the  corps  on  a  line  drawn 
northwest  of  Fair  Oaks,  Slocum's  division  occupied  the  right, 
Bartlett's  brigade  and  our  battery  being  on  the  right  of  Slocum's 
position. 

Among  the  troops  of  this  brigade  were  the  Sixteenth  and  Twenty- 
seventh  New  York  Volunteers,  who  had  been  with  us  ever  since 
the  reorganization  of  the  army  in  the  fall  of  1861.  The  latter  regi 
ment  had  been  led  at  Bull  Run  by  our  brave  and  able  general  of 
division,  Slocum,  and  later  had  been  commanded  by  our  gallant 
general  of  brigade,  Bartlett. 

In  front  of  the  infantry  of  this  part  of  the  line  was  a  tract  of 
hard  timber,  and  through  this  wood,  three  fourths  of  a  mile  away, 
a  portion  of  it  along  the  banks  of  a  ravine  which  led  to  the  north, 
was  the  right  section  of  our  picket  line.  From  these  pickets, 
ranged  along  the  ravine,  Richmond  would  be  about  west  perhaps 
five  miles  away,  their  posts  being  probably  the  nearest  approach 
they  had  yet  made  to  the  Confederate  stronghold. 


48  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

Some  of  us,  who  were  one  day  detailed  to  accompany  a  sergeant 
and  artificers  out  into  the  woods  a  short  distance  in  the  rear  of 
our  picket-line,  to  construct,  under  the  direction  of  Col.  Arnold,  a 
lookout,  had  an  opportunity  to  observe  the  position  of  a  portion 
of  this  section  of  the  vedettes.  Having  arrived  at  the  spot  where 
it  was  designed  to  build  the  structure,  we  were  set  to  cutting 
timber,  from  which  stout  steps  or  rounds  of  a  ladder  were  to 
be  fashioned  by  the  artificer,  which  it  seemed  were  to  be 
secured  to  a  huge  old  oak  on  the  one  hand  and  on  the  other  to  a 
tall  standard  which  was  to  be  planted  in  the  ground,  perhaps 
three  feet  from  the  base  of  the  tree.  The  colonel,  after  giving 
necessary  orders  as  to  the  work,  directed  us,  in  case  of  the  falling 
back  of  the  pickets,  to  retire ;  and  as  he  was  about  to  leave  us  to 
our  work,  he  remarked  that  when  in  want  of  water  we  could  fill 
our  canteens  at  a  spring  in  a  ravine  in  our  front,  indicating  the 
direction  by  pointing.  So,  later  in  the  day,  several  of  us  went 
to  the  spring,  which  we  found  to  be  well  down  the  left  slope  of 
the  ravine,  a  basin  of  pure,  cold  water  bubbling  from  many  a 
vent  in  a  bed  of  clean  white  sand.  A  rivulet  made  its  way  from 
the  spring  to  the  creek  which  ran  through  the  ravine.  As  we 
reach  the  bank  of  this  valley  we  see  beyond,  on  the  other  side,  a 
clearing  in  which  is  a  cornfield,  through  which  extended  the  Con 
federate  picket-line.  Occasionally  an  individual  was  seen  plainly 
enough,  but  there  was  no  firing  in  that  part  of  the  line  ;  indeed,  it 
was  said  that  previously,  the  spring,  by  the  then  position  of  our  pick 
ets,  was  between  the  lines  and  was  visited  by  the  boys  from  both 
sides ;  at  any  rate  there  were  the  boys  in  gray  a  few  rods  yonder, 
and  all  was  quiet  as  would  be  a  Sunday  ramble  in  a  Maine  wood. 

The  intensely  hot  weather  during  this  fortnight  in  June  had  a 
various  influence  upon  the  different  temperaments  and  disposi 
tions  of  the  soldiers  in  camp.  Some  were  quite  enervated  and 
despondent,  seeming  to  catch  through  the  veil  a  glimpse  of  mis 
fortune  to  our  arms  ;  some  who  were  constitutionally  irascible 
were  heated  to  contention  ;  others,  and  the  greater  number,  were 
warmed  into  a  glow  of  patriotic  ardor,  and  were  impelled  to 
express  their  faith  in  the  commander  of  the  army  and  the  tri 
umph  of  our  cause.  The  veil  that  hid  the  disaster,  now  near  at 
hand,  was  impenetrable  to  all,  but  the  volunteer  ever  seeks  to 
pierce  it  with  his  inevitable,  ceaseless  conjectures,  which  are  born 


GEN.    HENRY     W.    SLOCUM. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  49 

of  restless  impatience  of  restraint,  and  flights  of  fancy,  in  which 
camp  life  often  gives  him  leisure  to  indulge.  Sometimes  there 
would  arise  ludicrous,  petty  differences  between  officers  of  differ 
ent  arms  of  the  service,  as  to  the  limits  of  their  camps,  and  most 
amusing  charges  of  encroachment  upon  one  another's  domain. 
We  have  observed  Gen.  Slocum  called  in  as  arbitrator,  walking 
beside  the  appellant,  blowing  a  thin  cloud  of  smoke  from  his 
cigar.  We  have  overheard  a  comrade  exclaim,  as  he  watched  the 
pale,  thin,  quiet  face,  "  Well,  is  n't  he  the  coolest  man  you  ever 
saw  ?  "  This  remark  was  recalled  on  the  night  of  June  30,  when 
we  saw  the  general  stirred  with  righteous  anger  which  had  any 
thing  but  a  cool  effect  on  those  upon  whom  it  was  justly  visited. 

Rumors  of  every  sort  were  rife  during  this  time,  of  movements 
made  at  other  points  in  the  Federal  line,  and  of  those  about  to  be 
made  from  our  front.  Newspapers  found  their  way  into  camp 
with  tolerable  regularity,  which  gave  us  their  versions  of  the  doings 
of  troops  on  the  Rappahannock,  in  the  valley,  or  on  the  Mississippi. 
Speculation,  baseless  indeed,  was  active  in  the  minds  of  the  pri 
vates;  but  nothing  palpable  had  occurred  to  indicate  the  subse 
quent  change  of  base. 

Supplies  continued  to  be  sent  from  the  Pamunkey  to  Savage's 
Station,  east  of  us,  our  immediate  depot.  The  hackneyed  phrase 
"All  quiet  along  the  Chickahominy,"  had  become  well  worn. 
Sometime  during  Thursday  forenoon,  June  26,  the  company  being 
assembled,  general  orders  congratulating  the  troops  upon  advan 
tages  gained  in  a  conflict  the  day  before,  which  were  said  to  "  augur 
well  for  our  final  triumph,"  were  read  by  Lieut.  Sawin,  officer  of 
the  day  ;  the  account,  however,  was  so  vague  as  to  make  hardly  a 
transitory  impression  upon  us.  It  was  a  kind  of  appeal  to  the 
faith  that  the  Union  soldier  was  supposed  always  to  possess, 
through  all  fortunes,  in  our  ultimate  success. 

The  battle  indistinctly  alluded  to  was  that  of  Oak  Grove,  on 
the  day  before  (25th),  about  a  mile  in  advance  of  the  battlefield  of 
Fair  Oaks.  This  was  an  effort,  that  succeeded,  to  drive  in  Con 
federate  pickets  in  the  woods,  before  the  Federal  left,  in  order  to 
give  the  Union  forces  command  of  cleared  fields,  still  farther  in 
advance  ;  the  fighting  continued  all  day,  from  nine  A.  M.  The 
brunt  of  the  contest  was  borne  by  Hooker's  division.  This  was 
the  inauguration  of  the  seven  days'  campaign. 

4 


5O  THE    STORY     OF    THE 

At  length,  after  midday  on  the  26th,  the  stillness  was 
broken,  when  across  the  river,  up  the  left  bank,  there  was  an  inces 
sant  cannonading  for  hours  ;  evidently  there  was  a  terrible  artil 
lery  combat  in  progress.  Porter  must  be  engaged.  With  what 
troops  ?  Have  they  been  withdrawn  f roni  our  front  to  crush  him, 
or  has  Jackson  swooped  down  upon  him  from  the  valley  ?  Or  is 
the  gallant  'Fifth  Corps  contending,  single-handed,  with  the  com 
bined  forces  of  Jackson  and  some  corps  drawn  from  our  front  ? 
These  questions  were  in  some  degree  to  be  answered  on  the 
morrow. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th,  one  of  those  camp  rumors,  whose 
source  no  private  can  fathom,  but  whose  story  almost  always 
gains  credence,  said  that  a  Confederate  corps  had  marched  by, 
beyond  the  right  of  our  line  on  the  south  side,  had  crossed  at 
Meadow  Bridge,  not  far  from  Mechanicsville,  and  had  fallen  upon 
Porter  at  that  place,  while  Jackson,  who  two  days  before  had 
arrived  from  the  valley,  had  marched  from  Ashland,  fifteen  miles 
away,  formed  a  junction  with  the  force  that  had  crossed  at  Meadow 
Bridge,  and  was  now  moving  toward  Whitehouse,  our  base  of  sup 
plies  on  the  Pamunkey.  If  this  story  were  substantially  correct, 
then  the  long-continued  fire  of  yesterday  afternoon  and  evening 
must  have  been  at  a  terrible  artillery  fight  at  Mechanicsville. 

Authentic  advices  subsequently  confirmed  this.  It  was  learned 
that  the  Fifth  Corps,  with  the  Pennsylvania  reserve  which  shortly 
before  had  come  down  from  McDowell's  department,  had  repulsed 
a  furious  attack  by  A.  P.  Hill  upon  the  Federal  intrenchments 
near  Mechanicsville,  that  it  was  the  most  terrible  artillery  battle 
the  war  had  yet  known,  and  that  the  Federal  batteries,  from  the 
nature  of  their  position,  wrought  frightful  loss  upon  their  assailants. 
This  was  the  second  day  of  the  seven. 

If  Jackson  is  moving  toward  Whitehouse,  if  a  large  Confederate 
force  is  confronting  Porter  alone  on  the  north  side,  perhaps  the 
bulk  of  their  army,  we  surely  shall  move  to-day.  The  regiments 
and  batteries  since  morning  had  been  under  marching  orders. 
We  heard  an  infantry  officer,  before  a  sutler's  tent,  say  to  another, 
pointing  to  some  of  the  Sixteenth  New  York,  who  were  standing 
by,  "  These  men  are  all  liable  to  arrest  for  being  out  of  camp ; 
and  some  of  the  men  retorted  in  an  undertone,  "So  are  you." 

Where  are  we  going  ?     Is  it  a  retreat  towards  the  James  ? 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  51 

"  Boots  and  saddles  ! "  we  are  off  somewhere.  No,  not  imme 
diately  ;  we  remain  in  line  expectant ;  the  contiguous  infantry 
with  arms  stacked  are  similarly  waiting.  Hark !  there  is  firing 
across  the  river.  It  seemed  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
camp  we  occupied  in  May,  at  Games'  Farm.  'T  is  past  noon  ;  we 
are  still  waiting  at  one  o'clock.  There  is  a  rumor  that  heavy  guns, 
wagons,  and  teams,  have  been  crossing  to  this  side  of  the  river 
during  the  night  and  moving  toward  Savage's  Station.  That 
looks  like  a  movement  towards  the  James.  Two  o'clock  :  there 
is  a  stir  among  the  infantry  ;  there  's  a  messenger, —  an  orderly, — 
no,  an  aid,  going  to  headquarters.  Soon  comes  the  order,  "Drivers, 
mount, "  and  we  move  out  toward  the  river,  whither  already  some 
of  the  infantry  of  Bartlett's  brigade  were  moving,  whither  more 
infantry  and  artillery  of  the  division  were  following. 

Now  the  firing  is  louder  and  more  rapid  as  we  approach.  This 
route  seems  the  same  by  which  we  came  to  the  camp  which  we 
have  just  left.  The  roads  show  that  heavy  teams  have  lately 
passed  over  them.  The  firing  seems  to  be  continuous  along  a 
curve  from  Games'  Mill,  on  the  left  as  we  are  facing,  far  on  to  the 
right,  toward  Cold  Harbor. 

It  must  have  been  past  three  when  the  infantry  and  artillery  of 
our  division  reached  the  field  upon  the  other  side.  The  Federal 
line,  with  its  left  upon  Games'  Mill  stream,  was  evidently  severely 
pressed.  If  only  Porter's  corps  up  to  this  moment  was  on  this 
side,  he  must  have  been  contending  against  fearful  odds.  The 
entire  second  line  and  reserves  are  engaged.  They  have  evi 
dently  been  moved  forward  to  repel  the  continued  assaults  along 
the  line.  Some  of  the  infantry  and  a  battery  of  our  division 
which  have  just  arrived  are  pushed  directly  forward.  There  go  a 
regiment  and  a  battery  to  the  left  toward  Games'  Mill  stream. 
One  would  get  the  impression  that  Slocum's  division  was  being 
divided  and  sent  hither  and  thither  to  points  where  the  need  of  sup 
port  was  extreme.  Now,  midst  the  din  and  confusion,  the  scream 
ing  of  shot  and  shell,  the  shrieking  of  minie  balls,  Bartlett's 
brigade  and  the  First  Massachusetts  Battery  were  sent  to  the  right, 
where  Sykes'  division  and  Griffin's  brigade  for  more  than  an  hour 
had  firmly  held  their  ground  against  repeated  stubborn  attacks. 
Never  was  a  reinforcement  more  welcome.  Speedily  we  moved 
up  and  onward  to  the  right,  where,  forming  the  right  section  of  an 


52  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

arc,  partly  in  the  woods,  and  partly  in  the  open  ground  reaching 
toward  the  rear  of  Cold  Harbor,  the  troops  of  Sykes  and  Griffin 
were  desperately  stemming  the  tide.  Bartlett's  regiments  are 
brought  into  line.  Our  guns  are  unlimbered,  and  caissons  move 
to  the  rear. 

It  was  without  doubt  the  material  aid  afforded  by  Gen.  Slocum's 
reinforcement  of  this  part  of  the  line,  at  this  juncture,  that  saved 
the  Federal  right.  Let  this  fact  be  remembered  to  the  credit  of 
the  Sixth  Army  Corps  and  the  gallant  commander  of  its  First  Divi 
sion,  whose  command  in  an  equal  emergency  at  Antietam  helped 
retrieve  the  failing  fortunes  of  the  day,  and  who  himself  after 
ward  commanded  the  right  wing  of  our  army  at  Gettysburg. 

It  was  perhaps  five  o'clock,  when,  upon  the  left  of  our  position, 
seemingly  in  the  centre  of  the  Federal  line,  as  we  try  to  picture 
in  our  minds  a  line  drawn  along  the  crest  of  the  range  of  heights 
from  Gaines'  Mill  to  our  position  on  the  right  already  described, 
the  heavy  firing  indicates  that  the  enemy  is  trying  the  same  tactics 
that  have  failed  upon  the  right.  The  sounds  do  not  settle  back 
toward  the  river,  so  we  judge  that  the  centre  stands  firm.  For 
half  an  hour  this  continued,  when  the  din  of  conflict  seemed  to  be 
transferred  to  the  extreme  left.  Now  the  sounds  seem  to  be  float 
ing  to  our  rear.  Have  the  Confederates  massed  their  forces  upon 
the  right  of  their  line,  to  destroy  Porter  and  McCall  ?  The  infan 
try  contiguous  to  us  seem  to  have  been  ordered  to  fall  back ;  we 
limber  up  and  move  toward  the  left  and  rear.  Still  the  cannonade 
upon  the  left  continues.  As  we  draw  nearer,  there  comes  to  our 
ears  a  yell  that  suggests  that  there  is  a  charge  in  progress  on  the 
Confederate  right  flank;  but,  drawing  yet  nearer,  there  was  a 
scene  of  confusion  in  the  rear  of  the  left.  Infantry  seemed  to  be 
retreating  to  the  river.  Batteries  were  withdrawing,  not  at  a  walk, 
but  overrunning  the  infantry.  Our  approach  added  to  the  con 
fusion.  But  at  this  moment,  a  column  from  the  south  side  of  the 
river  appears  upon  the  scene ;  they  have  Second  Corps  badges ; 
'tis  French  and  Meagher.  They  push  through  the  retreating 
masses  ;  the  latter  are  rallied,  and  with  new  courage  follow  behind 
the  fresh  brigades,  ready  to  meet  a  new  attack. 

The  enemy  seemed  to  be  aware  of  the  arrival  of  reinforcements  ; 
there  was  a  brief  exchange  of  shots,  then  a  lull,  as  darkness  settled 
upon  the  field.  It  is  said  that  when  the  Federal  line  broke  on  the 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT    BATTERY.  53 

left,  Porter  had  called  into  action  all  his  artillery,  and  was  effec 
tively  checking  the  Confederate  advance,  while  at  the  same  time 
withdrawing,  under  cover  of  the  artillery  fire,  his  infantry ;  when 
the  horses  of  Gen.  Cooke's  cavalry,  which  had  been  attempting  to 
charge  the  enemy,  becoming  unmanageable,  wheeled  about  and 
galloped  among  the  gunners,  who,  being  without  infantry  support, 
and  supposing  a  charge  made  upon  them,  the  batteries  were 
hastily  withdrawn. 

This  perhaps  explains  the  scene  of  confusion  which  met  the 
eyes  of  French's  division  and  the  Irish  brigade,  when  they 
reached  the  field. 

During  the  night,  the  Federal  forces  were  withdrawn  to  the 
right  bank.  The  last  of  the  rear-guard,  crossing  after  daylight, 
destroyed  the  bridge  behind  them.  It  was  in  the  thick  darkness 
that  immediately  precedes  day,  that  our  company  reached  the 
camp  which  it  left  before  the  battle,  and  where  yet  was  its 
necessary  baggage  and  some  commissary  and  quartermaster's  stores. 
It  needed  the  light  of  dawn  to  exhibit  the  weary,  sober  troops ; 
Private  M.  V.  Gushing  was  wounded,  Rogers  and  one  other  man 
were  missing.  The  horses  were  clamorous  for  fodder. 

Much  needed  refreshment  and  a  brief  rest  for  man  and  beast 
were  hardly  enjoyed,  when  our  command  and  all  the  troops  in 
that  vicinity  were  again  in  motion,  this  time  toward  the  south 
east. 

This  hot,  gloomy  Saturday  morning  was  quiet  as  an  old  fash 
ioned  New  England  Sabbath.  There  was  something  ominous  in 
the  stillness.  No  one  of  the  rank  and  file  knew  the  true  condition 
of  the  army,  or  its  destination,  but  the  surmise  was  general  that 
we  were  going  to  the  James.  Indeed,  the  Confederates  must  have 
been  hours  in  possession  of  Whitehouse  and  the  York  River  Rail 
road  up  to  the  Chickahominy.  In  the  light  of  subsequent  events, 
it  is  now  evident  that  we  were  at  this  time  creeping  along  between 
Magruder's  force  in  front  of  Richmond,  and  the  great  bulk  of  the 
Confederate  army  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river. 

About  nine  o'clock,  Confederate  batteries  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  posted  in  the  vicinity  of  Porter's  position  of  yesterday, 
launched  forth  a  heavy  fire  upon  our  troops,  who  held  a  fortified 
position  opposite  on  the  south  side.  This  was  of  brief  duration. 
There  was  no  meeting  of  contending  forces  that  day,  but  a  painfully 


54  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

slow,  agonizing  motion  of  endless  trains  of  artillery,  army  wagons, 
and  ambulances  with  their  sad  burdens.  But  where  were  those 
wounded^vho  could  not  bear  the  jolt  and  swaying  of  the  ambu 
lances  ?  Are  the  hospital  tents  with  the  faithful  nurses  abandoned 
to  the  enemy  ?  It  may  be  that  the  safety  of  the  army  demands 
it.  "This  is  the  time  that  tries  men's  souls."  So,  various  were 
the  reflections  of  men  of  diverse  temperaments  and  physiques. 
Now  we  hear  from  a  dust-begrimed  veteran  with  sleepless  eyes, 
an  optimist  to  the  core  :  "  I  have  not  the  faintest  doubt  of  the 
final  triumph  of  our  cause,  and  I  have  the  firmest  faith  in  our 
commander-in-chief."  Then  an  officer  replies  to  another,  who 
asks  :  "  Where  are  we  going  ?  "  "  To  the  James,  to  take  transports 
to  Fortress  Monroe.  The  southern  Confederacy  will  be  recognized 
within  a  week." 

Certainly  the  awful  suspense  of  Saturday,  June  28,  and  the 
night  following,  were  more  trying  to  the  spirit  of  the  soldier  than 
the  combats  that  ensued.  The  narrow  ways  were  choked  with 
cavalry,  teams,  and  infantry.  The  monster  procession  moved  at 
a  snail's  pace ;  the  day  wore  away.  We  cannot  say  where 
we  passed  the  night  of  the  28th.  We  were  evidently  a  part 
of  the  rear  guard.  At  daybreak  we  were  in  the  vicinity  of 
Savage's  Station.  We  found  upon  reaching  Savage's  Station, 
commissary  stores  and  quartermaster's  supplies  smouldering  in 
piles,  and  the  scattered  debris  of  army  property.  A  locomotive 
derailed  was  poised  upon  the  embankment,  its  smoke-stack  leaning 
like  the  Tower  of  Pisa.  But  there  was  yet  some  property  un- 
destroyed.  At  this  time  the  contending  forces  were  at  no  point 
a  mile  apart,  while  Sedgwick's  division  was  but  a  few  hundred 
yards  from  the  Confederates ;  they  had  undoubtedly  divined 
McClellan's  purpose.  They  must  flank  White  Oak  swamp  and 
get  possession  of  the  New  Market  cross  roads  before  the  Union 
army  can  pass  through  the  swamp,  at  the  same  time  that  they 
are  prodding  our  rear,  or  it  will  be  too  late  for  flanking  move 
ments  to  avail  them  anything.  The  commander  of  the  extreme 
Federal  rear  guard  had  been  ordered  to  retire  slowly  and  hold  the 
enemy  in  check. 

At  Peach  Orchard  it  was  necessary  for  the  rear  division  to  turn 
and  confront  the  Confederate  van.  For  four  hours  the  contest 
was  waged  with  great  vigor  on  both  sides,  the  advantage  being 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT    BATTERY.  55 

with  the  Federals,  in  so  far  that  they  were  enabled,  the  enemy 
falling  back,  to  retire  to  their  main  body.  When  they  arrived,  past 
noon,  at  Savage's  Station,  they  halted  to  complete  the  work  of  de 
struction.  The  troops  in  our  rear  at  this  moment  were  commanded 
by  Gen.  Heintzelman.  At  four  o'clock,  Magruder's  force,  which 
had  hung  upon  Henitzelman's  steps  for  two  hours,  made  a  spirited 
attack.  From  the  first  onslaught,  the  heroic  soldiers  of  the  Federal 
rear  held  their  pursuers  in  check,  fighting  and  retiring  until  dark. 
Under  cover  of  night  they  passed  through  White  Oak  Swamp. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  long  trains  of  artillery,  wagons,  and  ambu 
lances,  and  the  advance  troops,  had  crossed  the  swamp  during  the 
day  and  were  moving  along  the  Quaker  road  which  led  to  the 
James.  While  Magruder  was  pressing  the  Federal  rear  on  this 
Sunday  afternoon  and  evening,  the  fifth  of  the  seven,  Longstreet 
was  making  a  detour  of  the  swamp,  with  the  design  of  striking 
the  Federal  force  at  the  junction  of  the  nine  mile  road  with  that 
along  which  McClellan's  army  was  travelling. 

We  camped  that  night  in  a  small  clearing  in  the  woods  along 
the  line  of  the  Quaker  road.  Loud  peals  of  thunder  were  heard 
in  the  north  far  over  the  swamp,  suggesting  a  night  storm  or  a 
deluge  on  the  morrow.  But  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day  was 
dry  and  sultry,  the  heat  during  the  forenoon  was  oppressive  in  the 
extreme.  No  breeze  found  its  way  into  the  thick,  low  woods.  The 
company  camp  had  much  of  the  air  it  possesses  when  a  pro 
tracted  halt  is  made.  Details  had  been  made  for  various  pur 
poses,  and  the  boys  included  in  these  calls  were  executing  their 
tasks. 

We  recollect  on  this  forenoon,  that  Comrade  Daniel  Cheney 
and  another  of  his  detachment  were  bringing  water  in  camp-ket 
tles  to  the  cook's  fire,  and  that  Cheney  was  singing,  "The  cottage 
by  the  sea,"  smiling  at  us,  as  we  were  watching  him.  He,  poor 
fellow,  seemed  to  have  no  premonition  that  before  sundown  he 
would  be  numbered  with  the  slain.  And  Comrade  Thomas  Daly, 
whose  genial  countenance  was  seen  no  more  after  this  day  save 
in  memory,  in  camp,  line,  or  column,  mortally  wounded  in  the 
afternoon,  and  our  boys  captured  that  day, — all  were  cheerful,  not 
contemplating  the  future.  At  noon,  artillery  firing  was  heard  in 
the  swamp.  Jackson  had  repaired  and  crossed  Grapevine  Bridge. 
He  has  perhaps  joined  his  force  with  that  of  Magruder,  who  was 


56  THE     STORY    OF     THE 

pressing  our  rear  so  persistently  yesterday.  His  plan  is,  to  push 
across  White  Oak  Creek,  through  the  swamp,  and  unite  with 
Longstreet  and  Hill,  who  are  making  the  detour  of  the  swamp, 
hoping  to  reach  the  junction  of  the  New  Market  and  Quaker 
roads  and  intercept  McClellan. 

How  to  prevent  the  consummation  of  the  plans  of  these  Con 
federate  chieftains  was  McClellan's  problem.  His  extreme 
advance  had  reached  the  James,  this  morning ;  the  artillery,  much 
of  it,  was  parked  on  Malvern  Hill.  Leaving  Franklin,  with  the 
divisions  of  Smith  and  Richardson,  and  Naglee's  brigade,  and  artil 
lery  under  Capt.  Ayres,  to  guard  the  passage  of  the  swamp,  he 
hurried  the  remainder  of  his  army  along  the  Quaker  road. 

Our  command  has  evidently  been  waiting  with  others,  until  the 
movement  had  made  such  progress  as  to  render  it  practicable  for 
other  bodies  to  be  set  in  motion^  Fortune  favored  McClellan,  for 
when  Jackson  reached  White  Oak  Creek,  the  bridge  was  destroyed, 
and  batteries  on  the  south  side  effectually  swept  the  crossing. 
This  was  the  firing  which  we  heard  at  noon.  Again  and  again  did 
the  Confederates  attempt  to  cross  the  creek,  and  as  often  were 
they  repulsed  by  Smith's  division  of  the  Sixth  Corps.  After 
noonday  we  moved  along.  Longstreet  was  at  this  time  upon  the 
New  Market  road,  south  of  the  swamp,  a  mile  from  the  cross 
roads,  i.  e.,  from  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  New  Market  and 
Quaker  roads.  He  found  the  junction  in  the  possession  of  the 
Federal  forces.  There  was  little  probability  that  he  could  gain 
this  point  and  cut  the  Federal  army  in  two,  unless  he  could  unite 
with  Jackson  ;  the  latter  never  came.  But  tenacity  of  purpose 
and  courage  are  qualities  that  often  impel  men  to  cope  with  seri 
ous  disadvantages,  and  sometimes  enable  them  to  win  success. 
Longstreet  and  Hill  seem  to  have  determined  to  pierce  the  Fed 
eral  line  within  hearing  of  Jackson,  who  could  not  participate  in 
the  fearful  venture  ;  but  there  were  in  front  of  them  troops  which, 
though  inferior  in  numbers,  were  not  only  equal  in  the  particulars 
of  discipline,  personnel,  and  courage  to  their  own,  but  were  led  in 
divisions  by  men  of  equal  courage  and  firmness  of  purpose  with 
the  Confederate  generals  themselves. 

Across  the  New  Market  road,  on  a  line  parallel  with  and  in 
front  of  the  Quaker  road,  extended  the  Union  forces,  commanded 
by  Hooker,  Sumner,  McCall,  and  Kearney,  awaiting  the  attack  of 


SLOCUM  S    ARTILLERY    ENGAGED    WITH    HUGER  S    AT    ERASER  S    FARM. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  57 

the  Confederate  host.  McCall  covered  the  point  of  intersection  ; 
Sumner  and  Hooker  were  on  his  left,  and  Kearney  was  on  his 
right.  Longstreet's  corps  confronted  our  left ;  A.  P.  Hill's  our 
right. 

It  was  perhaps  three  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  June  30,  1862, 
when,  moving  through  the  woods  a  short  distance  in  the  rear  of 
the  cross  roads,  we  found  upon  our  left  a  little  acre  of  partially 
cleared  land,  falling  off  from  the  road  to  the  wood  ;  and  here  the 
forge  and  battery  wagon  and  spare  horses  were  left,  while  the 
guns  and  caissons  moved  to  the  front.  Here,  a  part  of  the  time 
under  a  cross-fire,  these  teams  remained  until  night.  Occasionally 
a  wounded  man  was  brought  into  this  nook,  and  occasionally  a 
horse  with  his  leg  broken  and  dangling  would  hobble  into  their 
midst,  and,  strange  to  say,  commence  to  crop  the  herbage. 

Our  company  had  scarcely  emerged  from  the  woods  before  an 
attack  was  made  upon  the  centre  of  the  Federal  line.  It  is  the 
Pennsylvania  Reserves  that  are  engaged  yonder.  Off  the  road, 
across  the  field,  as  it  was  bidden,  our  command  moved  in  battery 
and  came  into  position  and  action  at  this  juncture,  as  part  of  the 
artillery  contingent  of  the  centre.  The  battle  now  raged  with 
fury.  Evidently  the  most  desperate  attempt  is  being  made  by  the 
enemy  to  turn  McCall's  left,  and  at  the  same  time  there  are  furi 
ous  assaults  upon  the  Union  batteries  in  the  centre,  and  on  the 
right.  Our  guns  are  having  a  baptism  of  fire  ;  we  seem  to  be 
exposed  to  the  steady  fire  of  artillery  in  our  front,  whose  shots  fly 
now  by,  now  over,  the  heads  of  our  gunners  ;  there  is  a  rattling 
hail  of  shot  between  us  and  the  opposing  battery.  Now  is  work 
in  earnest ;  officers  and  men  seem  instinctively  to  feel  that  their 
company  is  an  element  of  the  forlorn  hope  that  has  been  extended 
to  the  centre  of  the  Federal  line,  and  seem  to  be  animated  with 
the  spirit  of  devotion  to  duty.  Calmly  and  quickly  passed  the 
orders  from  chiefs  of  sections  to  sergeants,  and  from  sergeants  to 
gunners. 

There  falls  a  cannoneer  in  the  sixth  detachment ;  the  wheel  of 
the  piece,  in  recoiling,  several  times  jostles  roughly  his  dead 
body  lying  prone  behind  it.  It  was  stalwart  Dan  Cheney.  It  is 
said,  "Tom  Daly  is  hit."  Now  nearer  the  guns  are  moved,  and 
if  possible  more  rapidly  discharged.  So,  incessantly  through  the 
afternoon  was  the  command  engaged ;  now  moving  forward  as 


58  THE    STORY     OF    THE 

there  was  a  momentary  surging  back  of  the  infantry,  then  a  re 
covery  of  their  position.  Now  a  hail  of  shot  from  the  foe,  and  a 
deafening  response  from  our  guns,  and  quickly  repeated  volleys 
from  the  infantry  of  our  brigade.  Now  was  severely  tested  the 
pluck  and  endurance  of  the  Fifth  Maine,  and  the  Sixteenth  and 
Twenty-seventh  New  York,  and  grandly  was  the  test  met.  The 
drivers  of  our  pieces  and  caissons,  had  plenty  of  food  for  con 
templation,  and  ample  opportunity  to  exercise  patience  and  self- 
control. 

Now  our  howitzer  section  under  Lieut.  Sleeper  is  hastily  de 
spatched  to  the  right,  where  it  is  said  that  Gen.  Kearney  has  need 
of  more  short-range  artillery.  The  boys  reported  that,  coming 
into  action  near  a  rail  fence,  the  Confederate  shots  in  their  front 
made  an  exceedingly  lively  shower  of  slivers,  as  the  section  com 
menced  work  in  its  new  position.  During  th'e  heat  of  the  action, 
the  conduct  of  our  officers  was  superb.  The  calm  resolution  of 
Capt.  Porter,  the  sanguine  energy  and  inspiring  self-confidence  of 
McCartney,  the  sprightly  cheerfulness  of  Sleeper,  the  quiet  at 
tention  to  duty  of  Federhen  and  Sawin,  will  be  remembered  by 
the  boys  while  memory  endures. 

Now  two  regiments  of  Confederates  charge  upon  Randall's 
battery,  then  there  is  a  desperate  hand  to  hand  fight  with  the 
supporting  regiment ;  there  is  no  unemployed  infantry  to  be  sent 
to  its  aid,  and  the  battery  is  captured,  Now  there  is  another  Con 
federate  onslaught  upon  McCall's  left ;  it  wavers ;  the  flank  is 
turned  !  A  yell  and  a  rush  of  Confederates  ensue,  as  they  attempt 
to  follow  up  their  success.  But  suddenly  one  hears  a  resounding 
cheer  —  unmistakably  Union  ;  farther  to  the  left,  Hooker  has 
taken  the  grays,  in  turn,  by  a  flank  fire.  They  are  driven  across 
Sumner's  front,  and  before  and  along  McCall's  centre,  and  forced 
back.  It  was  during  this  part  of  the  action  that  shots  from  the 
front  and  left  went  thudding  into  the  enclosure  to  which  we  have 
alluded,  where  were  wounded  men,  spare  horses  and  teams.  Now, 
as  sunset  is  merging  into  night,  the  sounds  on  the  right  and  left 
indicate  that  Hooker  and  Kearney  are  respectively  gaining 
ground. 

Night  has  come  on  ;  the  vigor  of  the  Confederate  attack  seems 
scarcely  abated.  Now  again  is  a  quickened  movement  in  our 
command,  and  we  participate  in  repelling  a  last  attack  in  our 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  59 

front.  Then  for  an  uncertain  period  there  was  a  lull,  an  anxious 
rest.  At  last  we  limber  up  and  draw  out  upon  the  road. 

Capt.  Porter  rides  in  the  darkness  into  the  enclosure,  and  in  a 
low  tone  bids  the  drivers  of  the  teams  and  the  men  in  charge  of 
the  spare  horses  to  move  on  after  the  company,  at  the  same  time 
enjoining  silence  ;  just  then  some  mules  close  at  hand  gave  a  pro 
longed  blast  of  their  unique  music,  so  that  the  otherwise  serious 
effect  of  the  captain's  injunction  was  ludicrously  spoiled.  We 
have  no  doubt  this  was  appreciated  by  the  brave  captain,  for  he 
next  inquired,  in  his  usual  tones,  for  some  one  who  was  missing,  and 
receiving  no  definite  information,  remarked  that  the  one  in  ques 
tion  would  "  go  to  Richmond."  The  company  was  now  moving 
along  at  a  rapid  pace.  So  dark  was  it,  that  we  could  not  judge 
from  observation  whether  we  were  in  the  general  column  on  a 
pike,  or  were  a  portion  of  a  corps  that  was  making  its  way  by  a 
bridle-path  through  the  woods.  Certainly,  narrow  and  crooked 
enough  for  an  hour  the  way  was  ;  there  appeared  to  be  considera 
bly  more  than  the  usual  interval  between  the  teams.  The  drivers 
had  to  employ  all  their  skill  to  prevent  locking  their  wheels  with 
the  trees.  At  length  a  carriage  was  held  fast ;  its  right  hind  hub 
was  flush  with  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree,  and  was  plumb  against 
another.  The  drivers  of  the  following  team  dismounted  and 
sought  to  render  assistance,  grasping  the  wheel,  lifting,  and 
endeavoring  with  the  aid  of  the  horses,  whose  drivers  tried  to 
back  them,  to  throw  the  wheel  away  from  the  tree.  No  officer, 
commissioned  or  non-commissioned,  was  at  hand.  It  required 
more  strength  than  was  afforded  by  the  willing  men  present. 
Now  the  pickets  came  along,  their  canteens  rattling  as  they  walked, 
and  the  drivers  besought  them,  in  vain,  to  lend  a  hand  ;  they  were 
intent  upon  making  as  good  time  as  possible.  As  they  strung 
along,  the  drivers  would  fruitlessly  repeat  the  request. 

At  last,  an  officer  who  had  evidently  been  superintending  and 
hastening  forward  the  pickets,  and  looking  personally  to  the  move 
ments  of  the  rear  on  this  retreat,  rode  up  in  time  to  hear  one  of 
the  last  appeals  of  the  drivers.  "  A  half  dozen  of  you  men  hand 
your  muskets  to  others,  and  take  hold  here,"  said  he  to  the  pickets. 
The  infantry-men,  doubtless,  in  the  darkness  supposed  him  to  be 
a  lieutenant  in  charge  of  the  teams,  and  paid  no  heed.  As  the 
order  was  repeated,  one  of  the  men  said :  "  We  don't  belong  to  the 


6O  THE     STORY    OF     THE 

artillery.'*  The  officer  rose  in  his  stirrups,  and  in  a  tone  in  which 

was  no  palaver,  said :  "  Don't  belong !  Put  down  your  gun  and 

lay  hold  of  that  carriage,  or  I  '11  shoot  you."  Six  muskets  or  more 
were  instantly  passed  to  other  men  by  their  owners,  who  lifted 
the  carriage  with  the  aid  of  the  other  drivers,  and  the  officer  who 
had  dismounted,  leading  his  horse,  came  to  put  his  shoulder  to  the 
wheel.  We  saw  and  recognized  his  features  ;  it  was  Gen.  Slocum. 
Our  march  was  unimpeded  for  the  rest  of  the  way  through  the 
woods,  although  it  was  dark  for  some  time  longer.  The  road  was 
slightly  ascending,  as  though  we  were  gradually  making  progress 
toward  the  summit  of  a  hill,  or  to  a  table-land,  where  the  army 
would  be  again  at  bay  to-morrow. 

Just  after  daybreak,  we  drove  out  of  the  woods,  to  find  ourselves 
on  the  brow  of  a  ridge  with  a  vale  stretching  along  its  front  and 
winding  among  the  ridges  down  to  the  James.  Across  the  mead 
was  the  elongated  superior  elevation  called  Malvern  Hill ;  up  there 
we  saw  the  troops  that  had  preceded  us  during  the  night, — artillery, 
their  guns  in  position  frowning  from  the  height ;  infantry,  some  in 
line  resting  upon  their  arms,  some  being  moved  to  positions  they 
were  destined  to  occupy ;  aids  and  orderlies  riding  to  and  fro ; 
cavalry  moving  toward  the  lower  end  of  the  hill.  The  whole  array 
seemed  invested  with  an  air  of  weary  expectation. 

We  moved  across  the  valley,  then  obliquely  up  the  hill,  then 
along  the  crest  through  batteries  and  companies  of  infantry. 
When  we  had  halted  and  unhitched,  we  rode  our  horses  back 
again  down  to  a  brook  in  the  vale,  to  water  them.  A  drove  of  cat 
tle,  probably  intended  for  slaughter  that  morning,  was  being 
driven  around  the  foot  of  the  hill.  We  had  just  climbed  the  side 
of  the  hill  on  our  return,  and  were  riding  along  its  crest,  toward 
our  carriages,  when  lo !  looking  to  the  left,  from  which  direction 
we  had  just  come,  there  on  the  brow  of  the  ridge  we  had  crossed 
a  half-hour  since,  was  the  van  of  the  Confederates.  They  too, 
must  have  made  the  best  use  of  the  night,  from  their  standpoint. 
To  attack  the  Union  force  holding  such  a  position  with  sufficient 
artillery,  and  with  all  these  advantages,  palpably  threefold  in  its 
favor, — this,  to  a  casual,  unprofessional  observer,  standing  in  the 
vale  or  upon  the  lesser  ridge  occupied  by  the  Confederates,  would 
seem  to  be  an  enterprise  costly  beyond  all  comparison,  to  the 
army  acting  on  the  offensive.  Perhaps  the  Confederate  com- 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT    BATTERY.  6 1 

mander  counted  upon  a  demoralization  of  our  troops,  as  a  result  of 
the  six  days'  campaign  just  concluded.  Perhaps  he  was  forced  to 
make  a  concession  to  generals  and  troops  who,  flushed  with  the 
victory  at  Games'  Farm,  burned  to  wipe  out  the  defeat  sustained 
yesterday  and  the  day  before.  , 

The  condition  of  our  company  guns,  owing  to  the  undue 
enlargement  of  the  vents  by  the  melting  of  the  rims,  was  such 
the  morning  after  the  affair  at  Charles  City  Cross  Roads,  as  to 
render  them  temporarily  unserviceable.  Nevertheless,  though 
relieved  about  noon  from  the  position  occupied  since  morning,  our 
command  was  again  in  the  afternoon  placed  in  position  farther 
on  the  right.  While  marching  in  column  along  the  brow  of  Mal- 
vern  Hill,  toward  the  right  and  rear  of  our  line,  the  enemy  fired  at 
us  from  the  lower  ridge  before  alluded  to,  their  shots  passing 
harmlessly  over  our  heads,  and  beyond  us.  This  did  not  provoke 
any  return  from  the  Federal  batteries  which  we  were  passing. 

While  we  were  reaching  this  position  in  the  afternoon,  July  i, 
1862,  the  French  princes  were  flitting  down  the  river,  having 
taken  abrupt  leave  of  Gen.  McClellan,  on  whose  staff  they  had 
served  during  the  campaign  which  was  drawing  to  a  close.  Hav 
ing  come  hither  to  pursue  a  full  course  as  students  of  military 
science  and  art,  they  seem  to  have  contented  themselves  with  a 
single  term's  instruction. 

The  battle  of  Malvern  Hill  was  peculiarly  illustrative  of  the 
superior  advantage  which  that  one  of  two  equally  brave  and  ably 
commanded  armies  possesses,  even  if  numerically  inferior,  which 
acts  upon  the  defensive  ;  and  this  advantage  is  enhanced  in  propor 
tion  to  the  natural  strength  of  the  position  assailed. 

The  left  and  centre  of  our  line  was  on  Malvern  Hill,  with  part 
of  a  division  in  the  low  ground  to  the  left  of  the  eminence,  watch 
ing  the  road  to  Richmond.  The  right  was  along  a  line  of  ridges, 
to  the  east,  bending  back  toward  the  river.  Before  this  part  of 
the  line,  timber  was  felled  and  the  roads  were  blocked.  It  is  said 
that,  when  at  four  o'clock  the  attack  was  made  upon  our  lines, 
Jackson,  with  the  divisions  of  D.  H.  Hill,  Whiting,  and  Ewell,  in 
the  order  named,  struck  our  right,  weakest  in  its  natural  defences, 
while  Longstreet,  A.  P.  Hill,  and  Magruder  essayed  to  storm  and 
carry  the  hill  held  by  our  left.  Till  half-past  five,  the  Confederates, 
with  characteristic  ardor  and  stubbornness,  advanced  by  regiment 


62  THE     STORY    OF    THE 

and  battery  to  reap  the  terrible  slaughter  which  was  inevitable 
from  the  superiority  of  the  position  which  McClellan  had  chosen 
for  his  last  stand.  At  sunset  they  retired  from  our  front,  through 
the  woods  toward  Richmond. 

During  the  night  and  on  the  following  morning,  Tuesday,  July 
2,  our  army  was  moving  down  the  James  to  Harrison's  Landing 
and  the  vicinity.  Copious  showers  during  the  night,  with  floods 
of  water  collecting  in  pools  in  every  shallow  depression,  and  then 
streaming  over  the  surface  and  down  slopes,  had  rendered  the 
sacred  soil  both  divisible  and  adhesive  ;  and  as  the  clouds  still 
lowered  over  the  roads  and  fields,  the  sun's  rays  failed  to  evap 
orate  the  moisture  and  dry  the  mud,  so  the  feet  of  the  men,  the 
hoofs  of  the  horses,  and  the  weight  of  the  wheels,  ploughed 
through  the  muck  and  mire  of  the  roads,  and  converted  the  sward 
and  turf  of  the  fields  into  a  paste.  Yet  the  freshened  vegetation 
along  the  route,  moist  with  dampness,  was  odorously  agreeable  to 
our  senses. 

We  plodded  along  at  various  rates  of  speed :  now  a  walk,  now  a 
trot,  then  a  halt,  then  a  slow,  hardly  perceptible  movement,  then 
a  rapid  motion,  as  if  we  were  struck  with  compunction  for  having 
tarried  at  all,  and  felt  bound  to  make  amends. 

The  topography  of  the  north  bank  of  the  James,  below  Malvern 
Hill,  is  not  unlike  that  of  the  south  bank  of  the  York :  reedy, 
*  marshy  bottom  lands  extend  along  its  shore,  now  and  then  break 
ing  into  the  high  upland,  inland  ;  the  river  throwing  an  arm  into 
this  marshy  indentation,  back,  irregularly,  for  miles  ;  the  arm  being 
met  at  its  head  by  a  stream,  —  the  whole  system  constituting  a 
tributary  of  the  great  river.  Below  Harrison's  Landing,  and  north 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Chickahominy,  the  bottom  lands  this  side 
penetrate  the  shore  for  several  miles,  bending  northwest  from  the 
river,  skirting,  on  the  northwest,  high  bluffs  grown  up  with  oak, 
holly,  and  wild  cherry  interspersed  with  underbrush,  with  magno 
lias  growing  at  the  swampy  base.  Through  acres  of  this  marsh 
land  extends  Herring  Run  Creek,  for  a  large  portion  of  its  course 
clinging  closely  to  the  foot  of  the  bluff  on  its  north  side. 

On  this  bluff,  or  rather  on  the  open  plateau  whose  shoulder  it 
is,  was  the  right  of  McClellan's  army,  during  the  weeks  that  in 
tervened  between  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill  and  the  northward 
movement  of  Lee's  army.  Ascending  from  the  river  road  to  the 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  63 

cultivated  uplands  on  our  left  hand,  and  moving  back  to  make 
room  for  the  hundreds  and  thousands  of  the  different  corps  that 
were  pouring  in  to  halt  here  until  assigned  to  a  permanent 
position,  we  enter,  about  noon,  with  the  infantry  and  artillery  of 
our  division,  an  immense  grainfield.  The  stalks  now  sweep 
about  our  waists  ;  before  night  not  a  green  spear  or  a  root  is  dis 
cernible  ;  the  whole  field,  by  the  ceaseless  tramp  of  soldiers  and 
steeds,  has  become  an  area  of  gray  paste,  which  adheres  so  tena 
ciously  to  the  soldier's  shoe,  that  when  the  foot  sinks  deeply,  on 
seeking  to  extract  itself,  it  comes  forth  shoeless  ;  the  leather  is 
locked  in  the  embrace  of  the  mud,  and  the  soldier  must  needs 
sound  for  it.  On  the  second  of  July,  we  moved  to  the  position  in 
the  line  which  we  occupied  during  this  stay,  in  1862,  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  on  the  James.  To  the  Sixth  Corps  was  assigned 
the  section  of  the  line  which  rested  on  the  banks  of  Herring  Run, 
at  a  point  on  Westover  Heights,  northeast  of  Harrison's  Landing 
and  nearly  due  east  from  Malvern  Hill.  This  was  the  right  of  a 
line,  soon  strongly  fortified,  which,  extending  due  west  for  a  mile, 
then  obliquing  gradually  to  the  southwest  for  several  miles,  finally 
bent  due  south  to  the  James. 

The  heat  rays  of  old  Sol,  on  the  3d  and  4th  of  July, 
struck  the  sacred  clay  with  such  intensity  that  the  gray  paste 
became  a  gray  crust.  The  next  transformation  will  be  the  dry, 
powdery  dust  into  which  the  inevitable  tramping  of  the  hosts 
shall  grind  it,  and  the  spades,  picks,  and  shovels  of  the  fatigue 
parties  that  shall  break,  lift,  and  pile  up  the  soil  in  earth  banks 
to-morrow.  This  was  the  staple  employment  for  the  next  fort 
night,  for  details  from  some  or  other  of  the  commands  which 
stretched  along  the  front  of  our  army.  Our  company  contributed 
a  fair  proportion  of  its  muscular  force  to  the  undertaking  which 
resulted  in  a  system  of  ponderous  barriers  from  the  old  church  on 
Westover  Heights  on  the  bank  of  Herring  Run,  along  the  posi 
tion  of  our  line  as  heretofore  indicated,  to  the  James.  It  was 
dig,  dig,  dig  —  lift  and  throw  —  until  the  bank  reached  the 
height  of  the  embrasures  and  platforms  for  the  field  pieces ;  then 
the  work  was  varied  for  some  who  were  to  fill  grain-bags  with 
earth,  which,  piled  in  tiers,  were  to  constitute  the  sides  of  the 
embrasures. 

So  the  army  found  itself,  before  the  middle  of  July,  strongly 


64  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

intrenched,  awaiting  the  attack  of  a  foe  who  never  came  ;  he  had  a 
better  plan.     But  the  digging  did  not  cease. 

"  'T  was  dig,  dig,  dig,  till  the  flesh  begins  to  creep ; 
'T  was  dig,  dig,  dig,  till  the  stars  begin  to  peep. 
Oh  !  general  gallant  and  young,  oh  !  general  wise  and  brave, 
'T  is  not  the  foe  you  are  wearing  out, 
You  are  digging  a  nation's  grave  !  " 

At  the  first  six  embrasures  on  the  right  of  this  long  barrier 
were  our  guns.  Behind  them  were  our  corral  and  our  company 
quarters,  and  near  at  hand,  its  camp  systematically  arranged,  was 
our  supporting  regiment. 

We  were  now,  those  of  us  who  were  well  and  hardy,  (which  in 
spite  of  all  was  a  majority  of  us,)  jogging  along  to  the  routine 
tune  of  camp  life.  But  this,  in  the  rests  between  the  whole 
notes,  permits  of  many  episodes  in  the  course  of  a  week.  We 
watered  our  horses  regularly  in  Herring  Run,  twice  a  day,  and 
we,  nearly  as  regularly  at  a  different  hour,  dove  and  swam  in  its 
waters. 

An  incident,  one  of  several  that  we  shall  relate  in  the  course 
of  our  history,  that  illustrates  the  versatility  of  our  boys,  occurred 
during  one  of  our  daily  baths  in  Herring  Run  Creek.  One  evening 
a  squad  of  Vermont  boys,  of  our  corps,  and  as  many  of  our  own 
company,  had  just  waded  into  the  creek,  when  comrade  Flukins 
exclaimed,  "  I  '11  wager  I  can  stay  under  water  longer  than  any  man 
here  !  "  Suiting  his  action  to  his  word,  he  dove  and  disappeared ; 
the  Vermonters,  few  of  whom  swam,  waded  and  paddled  around, 
our  boys  swam  about,  ducked  under,  and  gambolled  in  the  water; 
at  last,  said  one  of  our  Vermonters,  "  He  's  drowned ;  no  one 
could  stay  under  so  long."  His  own  comrades  were  a  little 
mystified,  but  their  confidence  in  Flukins'  aquatic  genius  lessened 
the  alarm  they  might  otherwise  have  experienced.  But  a  minute 
more  and  another  elapsed,  and  his  comrades  asked:  "Where  is 
Flukins  ?  Must  we  run  up  to  camp,  give  the  alarm,  drag  the 
river  ?  "  "  Wait  awhile,  my  boys  !"  said  a  voice  behind  us  and 
sure  enough,  up  the  bank,  peering  from  the  thick  underbrush, 
was  the  head  of  Mr.  Flukins,  looking  like  a  merman's,  the  water 
dripping  from  his  beard,  and  a  brilliant  globule  suspended  from 
his  nose.  He  had  swam  back  some  rods  under  water,  and  quietly 
climbed  up  the  bank. 


SECTION    OF    THE    FORTIFIED    CAMP    AT    WESTOVER. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  65 

The  boys  will  remember  their  independent  explorations  in  the 
fields  and  woods,  in  front  of  our  line, —  the  large  cornfield,  the 
stalks  as  high  as  a  horseman's  head,  not  a  weed  among  them,  only 
now  and  then  a  sassafras  shoot,  or  a  blackberry  vine ;  then  the 
blackberry  patches  beyond,  with  plenty  of  fruit ;  the  woods,  the 
old  logs  and  stumps  on  which  lizards  crawl  that  reflect  the  color 
of  whatever  they  are  upon,  large  fellows  with  serpent's  head  and 
tail,  and  a  body  shaped  like  a  baby  alligator's ;  an  occasional 
snake,  too,  like  one  for  example  that  comrades  M.  and  L.  found 
coiled  under  their  gum  blanket  one  morning  before  first  call.  It 
will  be  recollected  that  L.,  on  being  asked  what  they  did  on  first 
seeing  the  reptile,  replied:  "I  guess,  by  Guy,  we  got  up." 

But  whims,  vagaries,  and  jokes  float  upon  a  troublous  sea. 
Happy  he  who  may  be  wafted  along  upon  them.  The  serious  side 
of  life  inexorably  presents  itself  during  our  gayest  moments.  Our 
beloved  comrade,  Geo.  B.  White,  model  soldier  and  admirable 
man,  reached  this  place  worn  and  exhausted,  his  fund  of  vitality 
so  low  that  he  could  hardly  make  his  way  with  slow,  uncertain 
steps  to  the  surgeon's  quarters.  Yet  he  strove  for  a  time  to 
perform  assigned  duty  until  he  was  obliged  to  succumb.  It  was 
sad  to  look  upon  his  pale,  emaciated  face,  but  inspiring  to  behold 
his  patience  and  hope.  It  was  but  a  day  before  his  death  that  he 
was  removed  to  the  hospital  tent.  On  the  eve  before  the  final  event 
an  elderly  comrade  said,  "He's  struck  with  death."  We  buried 
him  within  the  shadow  of  the  old  church,  one  of  the  oldest  in 
Virginia.  The  elms  wave  over  the  grave  we  made,  upon  which, 
after  Lieut.  Sleeper,  responsive  to  the  chaplain's  words,  had 
sprinkled  a  handful  of  dust  upon  the  coffin,  we  piled  earth  and 
sods,  and  a  platoon  of  infantry  discharged  their  farewell  shots. 
A  comrade  prepared  a  neat  headboard,  on  which  was  carved  the 
name  and  age,  the  name  of  the  company  of  the  deceased,  and 
the  legend,  "  Peace  to  his  ashes."  Lieut.  McCartney  was  heard 
speaking  in  the  highest  terms  of  the  deceased  to  the  chaplain, 
paying  a  just  and  kindly  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  quiet, 
modest,  and  brave  soldier. 

Comrades  Cummings  and  Langley  are  weak  and  debilitated  ;  the 
shadowy  appearance  of  the  former  is  touching  to  contemplate. 
Comrade  Currier  has  made  his  last  march  ;  one  of  the  lithest,  most 
active  fellows  was  he,  not  an  ounce  of  loose  flesh  upon  his  frame, — 

5 


66  THE    STORY    OF     THE 

a  good  soldier.  His  death  was  reported  to  us  later  from  Fortress 
Monroe.  A  slow  fever  is  consuming  poor  Brother  Knowles,  who 
has  passed  the  meridian  of  life, — a  sturdy  patriot,  a  brave  old  man. 
We  fear  we  shall  leave  him  along  the  route  on  our  next  move. 
During  July  Abraham  Lincoln  visited  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, — 
Abraham  Lincoln,  who,  even  as  the  Roman  Senate  thanked  the 
consuls  in  the  hour  of  defeat  for  not  despairing  of  the  republic, 
sent  words  of  hope  and  cheer  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  after 
each  reverse,  and  who  at  this  time  rode  with  the  commander-in- 
chief  and  his  staff  through  the  principal  streets  of  the  vast  camp, 
amid  the  plaudits  of  the  soldiers.  We  seem  yet  to  see  that  rugged 
form  towering  above  general  and  staff,  and  those  massive,  benignly 
grand  features  of  our  war  president. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  6/ 


CHAPTER   IV. 


f  I  ^HE  first  weeks  of  August  found  us  still  lingering  here. 
JL  Newspapers  had  given  us  Pope's  somewhat  grandiloquent 
address  to  the  army  of  Virginia,  and  their  version  of  the  battle  at 
Cedar  Mountain,  in  Culpepper  County  ;  from  which  it  would  seem 
that  the  ubiquitous  Jackson  is  again  near  his  old  stamping-ground. 
Where  is  Lee  ?  It  must  have  been  as  late  as  the  2oth  of  the 
month  when  the  Sixth  Corps  commenced  its  march  across  the 
peninsula  towards  Williamsburg.  We  made  speed  as  if  it  were  a 
forced  march.  To  drop  from  the  column  was  to  be  left  behind ; 
yet  excessive  thirst  compelled  men  to  hasten  through  wood  or 
field  to  fill  canteens.  'T  was  pitiful  in  the  extreme  to  see  some 
fever-stricken  comrade  from  a  wagon  beckoning  to  the  bearer  of  a 
canteen.  So  saw  we  oft  during  the  day  poor  Knowles  making  the 
sign.  We  reached  the  lower  Chickahominy  in  the  afternoon,  and 
crossed  over  the  pontoon  bridge  two  thousand  feet  long.  As  we 
design  to  describe  the  yet  more  famous  bridge  of  bateaux  thrown 
across  the  James  two  years  later,  we  will  simply  remark  that  this 
surpassed  in  constructive  skill  and  capacity  anything  of  the  kind 
that  had  been  attempted  in  the  annals  of  military  bridge-building. 
We  passed  through  the  melancholy  village  of  Williamsburg,  by 
the  deserted  halls  of  William  and  Mary,  out  through  the  dust  of 
the  dry  waste  plain,  by  the  dismantled  redoubts,  the  scene  of  car 
nage  in  May  ;  by  the  western  outlying  fortifications,  now  relics  of 
the  past,  of  Yorktown ;  and  halted  for  night  and  rest  hard  by  the 
York,  in  front  of  the  solitary  hip-roofed  old  mansion,  which  stands 
upon  the  bluff  overlooking  the  river,  flanked  by  a  peach  orchard 
of  a  dozen  acres.  Though  there  was  a  super-abundance  of  that 
fruit,  it  must  have  been  a  late  variety,  since  not  a  ripe  peach  could 
be  found  ;  all  were  as  hard  as  military  bread,  and  much  more 


68  THE    STORY     OF    THE 

unpalatable.  But  though  we  did  not  "  see  the  folks  and  get  some 
peaches,"  some  of  us  who  went  down  upon  the  beach  during  the 
evening,  saw  the  waves  of  the  York  glistening  with  phospho 
rescent  beams  ;  a  singular,  and  to  the  most  of  us  then,  an  unac 
countable,  spectacle.  So  then  it  was  away  to  blanket,  to  sleep,  to 
dream  of  waves  ignited  and  ablaze,  and  extinguished  by  the  early 
bugle-call.  Then  in  quick  succession,  stable,  feed,  and  water 
calls,  and  southward,  ho !  along  the  swamps,  now  doubly  historic, 
but  perpetually  miasmatic.  Near  mid-day  we  pass  down  to  ill- 
fated  Bethel ;  then  up  and  on,  now  south,  now  east,  to  the  shore 
of  Hampton  road. 

A  night  upon  the  shore  near  Fortress  Monroe,  embarkation  on  the 
morrow,  lying  all  that  day  in  Hampton  road,  an  inexplicable  tarry  of 
our  transport  fleet  for  another  twenty-four  hours,  and  'tis  the  eve 
of  the  28th  of  August,  1862.  Then,  when  the  mind  of  the  average 
private  is  as  blank  of  conjecture  as  the  white  clapboards  of  Hygeia 
Hotel  yonder,  we  sail  up  the  Chesapeake.  Our  method  of  -trans 
portation  is  much  the  same  as  that  employed  last  April  to  bring 
us  to  Ship  Point.  We  were  two  days  in  reaching  Alexandria, 
the  weather  during  the  voyage  being  fine. 

The  skill  of  the  cooks  on  the  schooner  which  carried  the 
drivers  and  their  horses  and  Lieut.  Federhen,  was  exercised 
more  than  once  in  concocting  a  delectable  mess  called  "scouse," 
which,  on  these  occasions  at  least,  was  prepared  by  placing 
in  the  kettle  layers  of  salt  beef,  potatoes  and  onions,  and 
hard-tack,  in  the  foregoing  serial  order.  A  cupful  of  this, 
smoking  from  the  kettle,  was  indeed  appetizing,  for  the  air 
of  the  bay  induces  a  keen  relish  for  wholesome  food.  One 
of  our  cooks  had  made  no  little  complaint  of  the  meanness 
of  the  skipper's  wife,  who,  he  said,  begrudged  him  a  few  min 
utes'  use  of  the  galley  stove.  And  he  further  said  that  she  was 
continually  nagging  the  stable-guard  because  he  was  not  suffi 
ciently  alert  in  keeping  the  heads  of  the  horses  which  stood  next 
the  galley,  out  of  its  door ;  the  guard,  in  walking  his  beat,  being 
sometimes  two-thirds  the  length  of  the  schooner  from  the  door. 
This  account  of  the  woman  having  been  heard  by  one  of  the 
boys  who  was  to  go  upon  the  third  relief,  the  lad  looked  some 
what  askance  at  the  lady  as  she  appeared  at  the  door,  when  he 
turned  at  the  farther  end  of  his  beat,  and  perceived  her  watching 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT    BATTERY.  69 

him  as  he  approached.  Just  then  two  nags  thrust  their  heads 
toward  the  door  and  were  repulsed  by  the  woman,  who  then  beck 
oned  to  the  boy  to  approach,  which  he  did,  expecting  to  receive  a 
rating.  To  his  agreeable  surprise,  the  good  woman  unfolded  a  clean 
towel,  displayed  a  nice  loaf  of  fresh  bread,  and  handed  it  to  him, 
asking  if  he  had  been  to  dinner,  and  remarking  that  he  might 
share  it  with  some  of  his  comrades.  We,  who  later  enjoyed  the 
loaf  with  him,  could  relate  many  an  incident  of  woman's  kindness 
in  the  District  and  in  Secessia,  to  those  soldiers  who  were  civil 
and  respectful  to  her  as  was  her  due. 

We  have  seen  a  woman  bestow  a  handkerchief  upon  some 
poor  fellow  who  was  wiping  the  perspiration  from  face  and  eyes 
with  his  blouse  ;  and  we  have  heard  another  cordially  invite  two 
soldiers  to  her  board,  scantily  furnished  as  it  was,  and  was  likely  to 
be  for  many  a  day,  since  her  man  was  in  Dixie.  We  suspect  our 
friend  the  cook  had  been  too  officious,  and  mayhap  too  loquacious, 
while  he  was  a  tenant-at-will  in  the  galley. 

On  the  morning  of  the  3Oth  we  were  lying  beside  the  Mt.  Ver- 
non  road,  just  outside  of  Alexandria,  and  not  far  from  the  bridge 
over  Hunting  Creek,  having  spent  the  night  there  after  debarking 
from  the  transports.  The  death  of  Brother  Knowles,  which 
happened  during  the  night,  was  reported  to  us.  Our  sorrow 
for  him  was  mingled  with  heart-felt  sympathy  for  his  wife  and 
daughter,  whom  we  saw  bide  him  farewell  last  October  at  Camp 
Cameron. 

Just  what  was  the  status  of  Gen.  McClellan  at  this  moment, 
we  knew  not ;  a  portion  of  his  army,  Porter's  corps,  which  had 
preceded  us  from  Fortress  Monroe,  had  been  sent  to  reinforce  Gen. 
Pope,  who  had  been  for  several  days  menaced  by  the  larger  part 
of  the  Confederate  army  of  northern  Virginia.  Heintzelman's 
corps,  weary  and  footsore,  now  numbering  but  10,000,  had  also 
joined  the  forces  of  Pope,  but  their  artillery,  horses,  and  wagons 
could  not  yet  have  arrived.  Where  were  the  commands  of  Sum- 
ner  and  Keyes  ? 

The  Sixth  Corps  is  here  at  Alexandria.  To  what  army  does  it 
belong  ?  Why  was  it  not  landed  a  week  ago  at  Aquia  Creek,  and 
despatched  to  the  plains  of  Manassas  ?  Pope's  army,  at  best,  can 
number  no  more  than  half  that  of  his  adversary.  Why  do  we  not 
hasten  to  his  aid  ?  We  cannot  say. 


7O  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

In  the  course  of  the  forenoon,  the  corps  moves  along  the  Fair 
fax,  C.  H.,  road,  but  it  seems  to  us  very  leisurely.  After  a  long 
halt  at  Annandale,  our  ears  betimes  greeted  with  the  sound  of 
cannonading  beyond  Centreville,  it  was  near  sunset  when  we 
marched  over  the  heights  at  that  place,  and  pushed  on  toward  Bull 
Run. 

In  the  wooded  plain  beyond  Cub  Run,  we  met  a  most  singularly 
mixed  crowd  of  infantry,  wagoners,  ambulances  and  cavalry, 
moving  helter  skelter  toward  Centreville.  "What's  this?"  asked 
some  one  of  us  of  a  man  in  the  throng.  "Another  Bull  Run!" 
he  said. 

It  was  growing  dark  as  we  pushed  through  this  surging  mass, 
and  we  now  saw  some  cavalry  forming  in  line  across  the  plain,  evi 
dently  endeavoring  to  stem  and  turn  the  disorderly  tide  setting 
northward.  Now  we  heard  a  drummer  say  to  a  fifer,  "  Come, 
strike  up,  I  'm  going  to  sound  a  rally  ! "  and  suiting  his  action  to 
his  words,  he  beat  a  lively  call.  It  might  have  been  twenty  minutes 
later,  during  which  time  we  had  been  steadily  moving  forward 
through  an  incongruous  mass  of  humanity,  when  our  column, 
probably  in  pursuance  of  orders,  countermarched  and  moved  back 
toward  Cub  Run.  It  was  ludicrous,  that  crossing  of  the  run. 
There  was  a  bridge  we  had  passed  over,  but  on  the  return,  some 
crowded  upon  it,  some  passed  below,  others  above  it ;  some  struck 
the  path,  some  insensibly  deployed  to  the  left,  others  strung 
along  to  the  right  of  the  road.  Sometime  in  the  night,  we  halted 
at  the  base  of  Centreville  Heights,  on  the  north  side. 

The  3  ist  of  August  was  a  quiet  day  at  Centreville.  Our  bat 
tery  occupied  one  of  the  round  forts  on  the  heights,  our  guns 
being  in  position  to  sweep  the  road  at  the  base,  but  the  Confeder 
ates  made  no  demonstration  against  this  place.  Their  next  move 
ment  would  be  an  attempt  to  pass  around  our  right.  The  result 
of  this  was  the  engagement  at  Chantilly  on  the  morrow. 

******* 

During  the  morning,  men  of  the  Fifteenth  Massachusetts,  and 
of  other  commands  not  belonging  to  the  Sixth  Corps,  came  in, 
who  related  that  Heintzelman's  corps  had,  on  the  morning  of  the 
28th,  forced  Jackson  to  retreat  across  Bull  Run,  by  the  Centre 
ville  pike ;  that  McDowell  had  succeeded  in  checking  Lee  at  Thor 
oughfare  Gap  in  the  Bull  Run  mountains  ;  but  that  Jackson,  having 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  /I 

been  attacked  on  the  29th,  near  the  old  battleground  of  1861,  was 
reinforced  by  the  combined  strength  of  Lee's  army  ;  that  Porter's 
corps  was  for  some  reason  not  engaged,  and  that  the  battle  was 
renewed  on  the  3Oth,  lasting  all  day.  It  was  further  averred  that, 
despite  the  appearance  of  the  curious  crowd  which  we  encoun 
tered  at  Cub  Run,  Pope's  force,  that  was  engaged  all  day  upon 
the  3Oth,  retired  in  good  order  during  the  night,  from  before  a 
foe  doubly  outnumbering  them.  While  this  conversation  was 
occurring,  Gen.  Phil  Kearney  came  riding  down  the  north  side  of 
Centreville  Hill ;  this  was  the  last  time  that  he  was  ever  seen  by 
other  than  his  own  troops  or  the  enemy.  He  was  killed  the  next 
day  at  Chantilly. 


/2  THE    STORY     OF     THE 


CHAPTER    V. 


THE  Sixth  Corps  moved  to  Fairfax,  C.  H.,  where  a  brief  halt 
was  made.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  first  of  September,  we 
passed  Fairfax  Seminary  on  the  edge  of  the  county,  four  miles 
from  Alexandria,  and  a  few  minutes  later  crossed  the  field  to  the 
Leesburg  pike,  through  our  last  winter's  camp.  We  noticed  a 
tiny  Union  flag  flying  from  a  pole  nailed  to  John  Going's  gable. 
As  it  was  alleged  that  John  had  said  he  would  rot  in  Fort  Ells 
worth  before  he  would  raise  the  Union  colors,  and  as  John  was 
not  at  home,  it  would  seem  that  some  one  had  kindly  planted  the 
flag  for  him. 

We  crossed  Cameron  Run,  and  marched  across  the  country  at 
though  making  for  Arlington  Heights  ;  but  when  in  sight  of  Fort 
Albany  we  moved  east,  along  the  line  of  the  Alexandria  and  Lou- 
don  Railroad,  struck  the  Washington  road,  and  crossed  Long  Bridge 
into  the  capital. 

We  moved  through  the  "  city  of  magnificent  distances,"  over 
Georgetown  Heights  to  Tennallytown.  How  many  times  and  on 
how  many  different  errands,  did  we,  during  our  career  as  an  ele 
ment  either  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  or  of  the  Army  of  the 
Shenandoah,  pass  through  or  rest  at  this  little  village  ?  The  turn 
pike  gate  on  the  west  side  is  one  of  the  landmarks  figured  in 
memory. 

It  was  now  evident  that  there  was  or  was  about  to  be  an  inva 
sion  of  Maryland.  Our  course  the  next  day  led  us  through  Rock- 
ville,  in  the  midst  of  a  thrifty  agricultural  region  in  harvest  time, 
when  the  fruit,  cereals,  and  cattle  were  a  sight  to  tempt  to  despe 
ration  the  Confederates,  if,  as  was  often  affirmed,  their  subsistence 
store  sorely  needed  replenishment.  We  halted  beyond  Rockville. 
The  several  divisions  of  infantry,  and  the  batteries  belonging  to 


FIRST      MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  73 

the  Sixth  Corps,  were  seemingly  to  wait  here,  unless  some  emer 
gency  were  to  hasten  them  on,  until  their  wagons  should  overtake 
them  with  supplies,  (we  had  not  yet  commenced  to  forage  here, 
issuing  quartermaster's  vouchers,)  and  first  of  all,  probably,  to 
await  further  development  of  the  enemy's  plans. 

He  certainly  has  not  crossed  with  any  considerable  force,  east 
of  the  Blue  Ridge.  Had  he  crossed  into  Cumberland  Valley,  we 
should  not  be  resting  here.  Our  corps  is  being  led  by  our  old 
commander,  Gen.  Franklin.  There  seem  to  be  no  other  troops 
along  our  line  of  march  ;  probably  the  other  corps  have  pursued  a 
line  farther  north,  taking  the  same  general  direction  west.  What 
may  be  the  special  mission  of  the  Sixth  Corps  in  the  next  eight 
days,  will  be  manifest  in  good  time.  In  the  meanwhile  it  is  posi 
tively  stated  that  Little  Mac  has  resumed  the  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  news  was  almost  universally  wel 
comed  in  the  Sixth  Corps.  The  effect  of  it,  as  in  the  case  of  a 
rumor  of  his  return,  a  year  later,  was  a  stimulus  to  the  ardor  and 
patriotism  of  the  troops. 

We  need  not  resort  to  invidious  comparisons  of  our  first  com 
mander  with  his  successors,  or  indulge  in  carping  criticism  of  the 
war  department  during  1861  and  1862,  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  fix 
the  responsibility  for  the  misfortunes  of  that  period.  We  should 
first  remember  the  successes  of  that  epoch,  and  the  glory  of  our 
arms ;  then,  whatever  conclusion  may  be  reached  in  regard  to 
McClellan's  conduct  of  the  Peninsula  campaign,  these  facts  will 
still  remain,  perpetually  incontrovertible  :  He  was  the  wonderful 
organizer  who  developed  from  a  chaotic  mass  of  raw  levies,  during 
the  fall  and  winter  of  1861,  the  splendid  Army  of  the  Potomac;  he 
was  invested  with  a  subtle  personal  magnetism,  that  inevitably 
impelled  toward  him  generals  and  troops,  and  awakened  their 
enthusiasm  to  the  last ;  he  drove  back  the  army  of  Lee,  with  its 
prestige  of  a  victorious  march  through  northern  Virginia,  before 
it  had  hardly  gained  a  foothold  on  Maryland  soil ;  he  turned  over 
his  command  at  the  mandate  of  the  department,  amid  the  univer 
sal  regret  of  the  army  and  its  corps  commanders.  Posterity  will 
do  him  justice. 

On  the  morning  of  the  first  day  after  our  arrival  at  the  camp 
beyond  Rockville,  our  teams  came  up  and  our  mail-carrier,  Com 
rade  Marsh,  rode  in  with  a  full  pack.  We  recollect  Capt.  Porter's 


74  THE      STORY     OF     THE 

greeting  of  the  carrier,  and  the  captain's  characteristic  smile 
which  was  a  part  of  the  greeting.  A  smile  that  shines  through 
clear  spectacles  is  peculiarly  attractive,  if  the  eyes  behind  them 
are  in  a  genial  face,  as  they  were  in  this  case. 

During  this  and  succeeding  days,  the  boys  who  had  any  scrip 
visited  farmhouses  in  the  vicinity,  and  purchased  loaves  of  home 
made  bread  and  canteens  of  milk.  At  this  time,  one  of  our  men 
mysteriously  disappeared  and  was  seen  no  more  by  us  for  one  year. 
Whether  he  was  kidnapped  by  some  of  the  secession  sympathizers 
and  conveyed  to  Dixie,  or  whether  he  went  home  by  the  under 
ground  route,  or  went  into  a  trance,  only  awakening  on  the  eve  of 
the  Wilderness  campaign,  we  never  knew.  We  left  this  camp, 
in  painful  uncertainty  as  to  the  fate  of  our  friend,  and  during  the 
next  five  days  by  easy  stages,  on  a  generally  western  course,  made 
our  way  to  the  foot  of  that  section  of  the  Blue  or  Kittatinny 
Mountains,  called  in  Maryland  the  Kittoctan.  It  was  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  1 2th  of  September  that  we  moved  over  their  crest  and 
commenced  the  descent  on  their  west  side.  What  a  panorama  of 
autumn  landscape,  grandeur  and  loveliness,  lay  before  us ! 

'T  was  Pleasant  Valley.  An  earthly  paradise,  if  anywhere  there 
be  one,  lies  in  Maryland  between  the  Kittoctan  on  the  east,  and 
the  Blue  Ridge  on  the  west.  There  were  the  slopes  of  the 
mountains  on  either  hand,  now  rounded  in  outline,  now  broken 
and  craggy,  now  approaching  their  bases,  descending  in  gentle 
declivities.  There  was  the  broad  valley  stretching  up  from  the 
Potomac,  on  the  east,  miles  of  undulating  curves  ;  on  the  west, 
miles  of  intervale;  over  the  face  of  all,  farms,  almost  perfect 
pictures  of  thrift  and  plenty;  orchards  groaning  with  fruit  of 
many  varieties ;  broad  acres  golden  with  the  ripened  grain ; 
groves  of  timber  clean  of  underbrush  ;  snug  farm  cottages  and 
capacious  barns,  giving  just  the  necessary  variety  to  the  scene; 
there  were  sheep  on  the  hillsides,  and  herds  of  cows  in  the 
meadows;  there  were  fine  horses  feeding  in  pastures.  There 
away  through  the  intervale  extended  the  Monocacy  like  a  broad 
ribbon  of  silver.  All  this,  bathed  by  a  healthy,  stimulating  atmos 
phere,  and  gilded  by  the  rays  of  the  September  sun,  was  presented 
to  our  view.  We  seemed  by  some  mental  process,  without 
conscious  analysis,  to  grasp  each  of  the  elements  of  this  wonderful 
picture  at  the  moment  the  whole  was  presented  to  view  when  we 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  75 

came  over  the  summit.  A  deep  voice  behind  us  exclaimed  :  "  Is 
not  this  superb  ! "  We  turned  and  beheld  the  speaker,  Lieut.  Col. 
Platt,  U.  S.  A.,  riding  with  Gen.  Franklin  and  his  staff.  The 
eyes  of  the  general  and  of  all  his  suite  were  bent  in  admiration 
upon  the  scene  before  us. 

Through  this  valley  for  nearly  a  week  Jackson  and  Hill  have 
been  marching  and  countermarching,  for  the  irrepressible 
"Stonewall,"  leading  the  van  of  the  Confederates,  crossed  near 
Point  of  Rocks  on  Friday,  the  5th  of  September,  and  at  ten  o'clock, 
A.  M.,  on  the  next  day,  his  advance  is  said  to  have  entered 
Frederick,  its  bands  playing  "  Dixie  "  and  "  My  Maryland."  On 
Sunday  he  is  said  to  have  attended  service  at  the  Presbyterian 
church.  On  Monday,  the  8th,  troops  have  been  continually 
coming  in.  Gen.  Lee  is  reported  to  have  opened  recruiting 
offices  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  Maryland  volunteers,  he 
having  issued  a  proclamation,  in  which  he  said  that  he  had  entered 
the  state  "to  rescue  its  people  from  thraldom."  On  Tuesday,  the 
9th,  a  large  portion  of  the  army  of  northern  Virginia  must  have 
been  lying  in  and  around  the  town  of  Frederick. 

On  the  loth,  two  days  ago,  Jackson  moved  over  South  Moun 
tain,  the  Maryland  section  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  to  Cumberland  Val 
ley  beyond.  We  shall  hear  from  him  to  our  mortification  and 
chagrin,  later.  A  division  commanded  by  Gen.  Walker  is  said  to 
have  returned  down  Pleasant  Valley  along  the  Monocacy  and  to 
have  recrossed  the  Potomac.  A  force  under  McLaws  and  Ander 
son  is  reported  to  have  moved  along  South  Mountain  yonder, 
toward  Maryland  Heights.  It  was  a  part  of  this  last  corps  that 
we  encountered  two  days  later  at  Crampton's  Gap. 

It  would  appear  then,  that  our  slow  movement  since  the  5th  of 
the  month  had  been  to  keep  in  a  position  to  cover  Washington 
and  Baltimore,  and,  while  observing  the  movements  of  the  invad 
ers,  to  permit  their  march  into  the  interior  sufficiently  to  secure 
their  stand  when  attacked,  at  a  point  far  enough  inland  from  the 
Potomac  to  render  their  escape  impossible  without  severe  punish 
ment  and  crippling  their  strength.  Now  we  are  moving  into 
Pleasant  Valley  as  part  of  a  force  which  is  being  thrown  between 
Lee  and  the  lower  fords  of  the  Potomac.  We  camp  in  the  undu 
lating  fields  along  the  line  of  roads  from  Frederick  to  the  Potomac 
and  the  road  that  crosses  these  nearly  at  right  angles,  leading  to 


76  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

Burkittsville  and  thence  over  the  mountain  through  Crampton's 
Gap.  The  farms  seem  not  to  have  been  plundered.  Indeed, 
except  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  roads,  there  is  little  to  denote 
that  an  army  has  recently  passed  through.  It  was  doubtless  the 
policy  of  the  southern  commander  to  prevent  the  least  act  of 
devastation  in  pursuance  of  his  avowed  purpose  of  awakening 
the  slumbering  patriotism  of  Maryland,  and  of  winning  the  state 
to  the  Confederacy.  The  people  of  western  Maryland  seem  not 
to  have  been  in  the  least  attracted  by  the  "  pomp  and  circum 
stance  "  of  the  Confederate  troops  during  their  brief  visit.  The 
effect  of  this  movement  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  and  of  other  move 
ments  of  the  army  made  in  conjunction  with  it,  was  the  hasty 
departure  of  Lee  from  Frederick  on  this  day,  the  I2th,  he  crossing 
the  mountain  by  the  pass  opposite  that  place. 

On  the  1 4th  of  September,  Sunday  morning,  we  were  again  in 
motion.  A  portion  of  our  army  under  Burnside  was  known  to  be 
in  front  of  Turner's  Gap  near  Frederick.  All  the  troops  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Potomac  except  those  at  Harper's  Ferry,  are  in 
Pleasant  Valley. 

The  Sixth  Corps,  about  mid-day,  moved  through  the  little 
hamlet  of  Burkittsville  abreast  of  Crampton's  Gap.  There  on 
the  crest,  holding  the  pass,  was  a  Confederate  force  of  uncertain 
number  but  occupying  a  position  that  seemed  impregnable.  On 
reaching  the  base  of  the  mountain,  lines  of  infantry,  ranged  across 
the  road  which  winds  up  the  declivity  through  the  gap,  were 
pushed  up  the  side. 

Bartlett's  brigade  of  Slocum's  division,  comprising  the  Fifth 
Maine,  Sixteenth  and  Twenty-seventh  New  York,  and  Ninety-sixth 
Pennsylvania,  was  upon  the  right  of  the  road,  companies  from 
these  regiments  supporting  two  batteries,  one  of  which  was  the 
First  Massachusetts.  We  moved  steadily  over  the  rising,  uneven 
ground,  brush  and  stones  impeding  the  way.  Perhaps  one  third 
of  the  distance  up  the  side  we  were  met  by  a  solid  line  of  grays, 
and  a  murderous  discharge  of  muskets.  They  receive  an  equally 
cruel  return,  backed  by  a  broadside  from  the  batteries.  Their 
gaps  are  closed,  their  dead  lying  at  their  feet.  They  pour  forth 
another  volley;  this  is  met  by  one  from  our  lines,  and  more  artil 
lery  fire.  Their  line  wavers.  Our  right  now  presses  hard  their 
left,  and  turns  it  in  and  upward.  A  bevy  of  grays  in  our  front 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  77 

are  forced  into  the  hands  of  our  infantry,  and  are  taken  to  the 
rear.  Then  the  Confederate  line  falls  back,  firing  as  it  recedes. 

There  is  a  lively  forward  motion  of  our  infantry,  and  a  round  of 
shots  ;  now  an  artillery  discharge,  and  both  have  reached  a  belt  of 
the  mountain  side,  that  is  like  the  top  of  a  terrace.  Here  is  a 
stubborn  contest  for  an  hour,  and  bloody  work  ;  here  on  the 
morrow  the  corpses  lie  thick,  and  the  leaves  and  turf  are  stained. 
The  engagement  lasted  three  hours,  and  resulted  in  driving  the 
enemy  from  the  pass.  They  were  many  of  them  Georgians,  brave, 
hardy  fellows,  not  a  few  of  them  quite  young;  none  of  them 
seemed  old.  Among  the  prisoners  was  a  young  man  whom  we 
saw  a  year  after  in  Pennsylvania,  he  having  been  again  captured 
at  Gettysburg.  He  said  in  answer  to  our  inquiry  if  we  had  not 
seen  him  at  South  Mountain,  that  he  was  taken  prisoner  there. 
The  next  day,  as  we  lay  upon  the  side  of  the  mountain,  a  detail  of 
the  prisoners  was  employed  under  the  direction  of  a  non-com 
missioned  officer,  in  burying  their  dead.  A  large  trench  was  dug, 
and  a  large  number  of  bodies  were  carefully  placed  in  it,  their  feet 
toward  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  We  saw  some  young  fellows 
lying  among  the  trees,  whose  countenances  even  in  death  looked 
fresh  and  wholesome,  and  actually  seemed  to  have  a  glow  of  color ; 
some  had  their  name  and  the  name  of  their  regiment  pinned  upon 
their  shirts.  Some  bodies  were  inky  black,  and  frightful  to  behold. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  prisoners  were  well  cared  for, 
and  the  men  engaged  in  the  burial  of  their  comrades  were 
pronounced  in  their  expression  of  their  satisfaction  at  the  treat 
ment  they  had  received.  They  were  in  truth  good  fellows,  and 
our  company  comrades,  who  had  much  conversation  with  them, 
learned  to  appreciate  the  fact,  and  to  regret  that  a  different  train 
ing,  and  a  different  scale  and  trend  of  educational  means,  had 
arrayed  them  against  us. 

To-day  brings  ill-starred  tidings.  There  come  into  camp  some 
paroled  Union  Maryland  prisoners  from  Harper's  Ferry.  That 
place  surrendered  to  Jackson  yesterday,  while  the  battle  was 
raging  here  and  at  Turner's  Pass,  abreast  of  Frederick.  In  fact, 
away  at  the  southern  end  of  this  South  Mountain,  where  we  are, 
on  Maryland  Heights,  were  Anderson's  and  McLaw's  commands, 
from  which  was  drawn  the  force  which  we  encountered  yesterday. 
Eleven  thousand  men  by  this  surrender  are  lost  to  us. 


78  THE     STORY    OF    THE 

We  spent  the  following  day,  the  i6th  of  September,  on  South 
Mountain,  and  we  had  some  further  opportunity  to  examine  on 
this  Tuesday  the  character  of  the  surface  and  soil  of  the  lower 
slope  of  the  ridge  in  this  vicinity.  This  we  found  to  be  cultivated 
here  and  there;  we  particularly  recollect  a  field  of  sweet  potatoes, 
the  vines  being  thrifty,  and  the  roots  three  fourths  matured. 
There  is  excellent  water  here,  if  one  is  only  habituated  to  the 
use  of  it.  The  rock  formation  on  which  the  soil  rests,  through 
which  the  water  percolates,  is  limestone,  or  magnesian  rock 
traversed  by  limestone ;  this  region,  therefore,  and  that  on  the 
other  side  of  the  mountain,  is  especially  adapted  to  grain-growing. 

Turner's,  or  South  Mountain  Pass,  is  several  miles  north  of 
Crampton's  Gap.  There,  on  the  I4th,  Hooker  and  Reno  were 
hotly  engaged  with  a  portion  of  Lee's  army,  which  disputed  the 
passage  of  the  Federals  at  that  point.  The  enemy  was  dislodged, 
driven  from  the  pass,  and  fell  back  to  Boonesboro,  which  lies 
at  the  base  of  the  mountain  on  the  west  side  of  the  pass ;  the  next 
day  they  moved  toward  Williamsport  on  the  Potomac.  But  the 
victory  was  purchased  with  the  lives  of  the  gallant  Reno  and 
several  hundred  brave  men.  There  were  wounded,  here  and  at 
Crampton's  Gap,  eighteen  hundred  and  six,  and  the  Federal  dead 
on  both  fields  numbered  four  hundred  and  forty-three.  The  enemy, 
in  retreating  from  South  Mountain,  crossed  Antietam  Creek  and 
retired  to  Sharpsburg.  The  Antietam,  from  a  point  near  Boones 
boro,  runs  nearly  parallel  with  the  South  Mountain,  five  or  six 
miles  from  it ;  there  is  a  bridge  over  it,  west  of  Boonesboro,  on 
the  Hagerstown  road  which  comes  over  the  mountain ;  there  is 
another  near  Keedysville,  which  is  situated  as  to  Crampton's  Gap 
relatively  the  same  as  Boonesboro  is  to  Turner's  or  South  Moun 
tain  Pass.  By  this  latter  bridge  and  a  ford  near  it,  Hooker's 
corps  crossed  on  the  afternoon  of  the  i6th  in  pursuit  of  Lee. 
Hooker's  orders  were  to  attack,  and,  if  possible,  turn  the  enemy's 
left.  Arrived  in  position  on  the  high  ground  southwest  of 
Keedysville  and  north  of  Sharpsburg,  the  Pennsylvania  Reserves, 
the  head  of  Hooker's  corps,  became  engaged  in  a  sharp  contest 
with  the  enemy,  which  lasted  until  dark,  when  it  had  succeeded  in 
driving  in  a  portion  of  the  opposing  line,  and  had  held  its  ground. 
Mansfield's  corps  was  sent  in  the  evening  to  support  Hooker. 
At  daylight  the  contest  was  renewed.  Hooker's  attack  was 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  79 

successful  for  a  time,  but  masses  of  the  enemy  thrown  upon  the 
corps,  checked  it.  Mansfield's  corps  came  to  its  aid,  and  the  two 
corps  drove  back  the  enemy.  But  the  veteran  Mansfield  fell,  and 
Fighting  Joe  Hooker  was  wounded  and  carried  from  the  field, 
where  his  services  had  been  indispensable. 

Within  an  hour  afterward,  Sumner's  corps  arrived,  and  on  its 
general  devolved  the  command  of  the  right.  Sedgwick's  division 
and  that  of  Crawford  penetrated  the  woods  in  front  of  Hooker's 
and  Mansfield's  corps ;  French  and  Richardson  were  placed  to 
the  left  of  Sedgwick,  thus  attacking  the  enemy  toward  his  left 
centre.  The  battle  now  raged  around  a  cornfield  surrounded  by 
woods,  to  which  Hooker  had  in  the  beginning  driven  the  enemy. 
Crawford's  and  Sedgwick's  lines  yielded  to  a  destructive  fire  of  the 
Confederates  in  the  wood,  suffering  extremely,  and,  their  leaders 
both  being  wounded,  fell  back  in  some  confusion ;  yet  they  ral 
lied  in  the  wood. 

It  was  now  one  o'clock,  p.  M.;'  at  this  moment  of  extreme 
need  Gen.  Franklin  arrived  with  Smith's  and  Slocum's  divisions 
of  the  Sixth  Corps,  and  their  artillery.  We  had  come  through 
the  gap,  over  to  Keedysville,  across  the  Antietam  at  that  place, 
arrived  between  twelve  and  one  at  Brownsville,  and  then  pushed 
forward  to  the  aid  of  the  right  wing.  The  destructive  fire  of 
the  artillery  now  prevented  the  enemy  from  pursuing  his  tem 
porary  advantage  at  the  moment  that  Crawford's  and  Sedgwick's 
lines  rallied.  These  were  immediately  replaced  by  the  two  fresh 
divisions  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  whose  infantry,  advancing  steadily, 
followed  by  its  artillery,  which  came  into  position  in  the  cornfield 
beyond  the  belt  of  woods  on  its  north  side,  and  swept  over  the 
ground  just  lost,  now  permanently  regained.  Smith's  Vermont, 
Maine,  and  other  regiments,  went  forward  on  the  run,  cheering 
vociferously,  fell  upon  the  troops  in  the  wood  in  their  front,  and 
in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  cleared  and  held  it.  Slocum's 
Maine,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Wisconsin  regiments,  were 
sent  forward  along  the  slopes  lying  under  the  first  ranges  of  the 
hills  occupied  by  the  Confederates,  and  poured  a  storm  of  shot  into 
the  opposing  lines,  driving  them  back  from  their  foremost  posi 
tion.  Franklin  now  sent  his  batteries  forward  in  the  cornfield ; 
they  blazed  away  upon  the  woods  in  front  and  right.  We  seemed 
about  to  carry  those  woods  ;  if  there  were  any  batteries  there  at 


So  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

this  moment,  they  were  either  disabled  or  without  ammunition.  It 
is  said  the  order  to  advance  the  infantry  at  this  stage  was  coun 
termanded,  because  of  a  message  from  Gen.  Sumner  to  McCleifan, 
that  if  Franklin  went  on  and  was  repulsed,  his  own  co^s  was  not 
sufficiently  organized  to  be  depended  IY*™  **  a  reserve. 

^ToVPrf  helves  of  f'""- v  clock  our  guns  were  still  active;  every 
ridge  along  the  line  was  enveloped  in  clouds  of  smoke.  It  is  said 
that  at  this  moment  there  were  four  miles  of  battle.  For  an  hour 
thenceforward  there  is  artillery  practice  on  the  right.  As  the  sun 
went  down  we  were  in  possession  of  the  cornfield  which  had  been 
four  times  lost  and  won.  But  what  a  harvest  lay  garnered  there  ! 
Literally  winrows  of  dead, —  the  blue  and  the  gray.  Like  as  the 
rows  of  bound  sheaves  before  they  are  stacked  may  lie  one 
line  above  another  on  a  hillside,  so  lay  the  bodies  in  lines 
from  the  lower  belt  of  woods  on  the  north  side,  over  the  rise  to 
the  upper  range  of  wood  on  the  south.  Frightful  indeed  was 
the  spectacle  of  those  blackened  corpses,  already  commencing  to 
decompose  under  the  influence  of  the  hot  sun.  Now  a  head 
which  a  shell  had  crushed  was  seen  deprived  of  its  contents,  like 
an  empty  case  ;  here  was  a  stark  form,  its  hand  clutching  the 
strap  of  a  canteen  ;  there  a  headless  body,  —  corpses  piled  upon 
corpses.  Independent  of  the  frightful  evidence  of  human  slaugh 
ter  which  met  the  eye  on  every  hand,  the  field  itself  suggested 
to  one  a  recent  visitation  of  a  hell-storm ;  the  cornstalks  broken, 
blighted,  bloody  ;  the  ground,  torn,  and  stained  ;  toward  the  west 
side  lay  a  bull,  which,  maddened  by  the  sound  of  his  own  bellow 
ing  or  by  the  thunder  of  the  battle,  had  rushed  onto  the  field  to 
be  destroyed. 

From  General  McClellan's  report  we  have  the  following  account 
of  the  action  during  the  day,  upon  the  left :  — 

"The  effect  of  Burnside's  movement  on  the  enemy's  right 
was  to  prevent  his  further  massing  of  troops  on  his  left, 
and  we  held  what  we  had  gained.  Burnside's  corps,  consist 
ing  of  Wilcox's,  Sturgis's,  Rodman's  and  Cox's  Kanawha  divi 
sion,  was  intrusted  with  the  difficult  task  of  carrying  the 
bridge  across  the  Antietam  at  Rohrback's  Farm,  and  assault 
ing  the  enemy's  right,  the  order  having  been  communicated  to 
him  at  ten  o'clock,  A.  M.  The  valley  of  the  Antietam,  at  and 
near  the  bridge,  is  narrow  with  high  banks.  On  the  right  of  the 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  8 1 

stream  the  bank  is  wooded  and  commands  the  approaches  both  to 
the  bridge  and  the  ford.  The  steep  slopes  of  the  bank  were  lined 
with  rifle-pits,  and  breastworks  of  rails  and  stones.  These 
together  with  the  woods  were  rilled  with  the  enemy's  infantry, 
while  their  batteries  completely  commanded  and  enfiladed  the 
bridge  and  ford  and  their  approaches. 

"  The  advance  of  the  troops  brought  on  an  obstinate  and  sanguin 
ary  contest,  and  from  the  great  natural  advantages  of  the  position, 
it  was  nearly  one  o'clock  before  the  heights  on  the  right  bank  were 
carried.  About  three  P.  M.  the  corps  again  advanced,  and  with  suc 
cess,  driving  the  enemy  before  it,  and  pushing  him  nearly  to 
Sharpsburg. 

****** 

"  With  the  day,  closed  this  memorable  battle,  in  which  perhaps 
nearly  two  hundred  thousand  men  were  for  fourteen  hours  engaged 
in  combat.  We  had  attacked  the  enemy  in  position,  driven  them 
from  their  line  on  one  flank,  and  secured  a  footing  within  it  on  the 
other.  Under  the  depression  of  previous  reverses,  we  had  achieved 
a  victory  over  an  adversary  invested  with  the  prestige  of  former 
successes,  and  inflated  with  a  recent  triumph.  The  Union  forces 
slept  that  night  on  a  field  won  by  their  valor,  and  covered  with 
the  dead  and  wounded  of  the  enemy. 

****** 

"  From  the  time  the  Union  troops  first  encountered  the  Confed 
erates  in  Maryland,  until  the  latter  were  driven  back  into  Virginia, 
we  captured  thirteen  guns,  seven  caissons,  nine  limbers,  two  field 
forges,  two  caisson  bodies,  thirty-nine  colors,  and  one  signal  flag ; 
the  Union  army  had  lost  neither  gun  nor  color." 

****** 

We  slept  that  night  on  the  field;  it  was  very  dark,  and  one  of 
our  comrades,  coming  off  post  at  relief,  made  his  way,  as  he  sup 
posed,  to  the  spot  where  his  chum  lay  under  a  blanket ;  as  he  lay- 
down,  he  asked  his  bed-fellow  to  move  along  and  give  him  more 
room,  but  receiving  no  satisfaction  he  went  to  sleep  ;  four  hours 
later  he  was  waked  up,  to  find  himself  stretched  beside  a  dead 
man. 

Gen.  McClellan  had  ordered  the  attack  to  be  renewed  in  the 
morning ;  but  at  that  hour  the  Confederates  asked  for  an  armistice 
to  bury  their  dead,  which  was  granted.  We  therefore  remained 


82  THE     STORY    OF     THE 

amidst  this  ghastly  scene  all  day,  the  motionless  Confederate 
pickets  looking  down  over  the  field  from  the  edge  of  the  woods. 
All  the  forenoon,  surgeons  with  staffs  were  moving,  as  best  they 
could  pick  their  way,  over  the  field ;  seeking  among  the  motion 
less  forms  for  those  in  which  life  was  not  extinct,  and  ministering 
to  the  severely  wounded  who  had  not  been  removed.  The  burial 
parties  will  have  a  long  range  of  duty.  In  the  road,  bodies  lay 
scattered  all  around,  and  the  stench  that  arose  from  their  decom 
position  was  wellnigh  unendurable.  Along  the  line  for  not  more 
than  a  single  mile,  fifteen  hundred  lay  unburied.  Yesterday  has 
been  called  the  bloodiest  day  that  America  has  ever  known  ;  and 
the  determined  character,  terrible  in  its  determination,  of  the  con 
test  on  the  Union  right  and  Confederate  left,  in  the  forenoon, 
may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  Hooker  and  Jackson  there  con 
fronted  each  other. 

During  the  night  of  the  i8th,  Lee  withdrew  his  forces  from  the 
Federal  front ;  this  had  probably  begun  and  been  continued  under 
cover  of  the  operations  for  which  the  truce  was  obtained.  On  the 
morning  of  the  iQth,  the  thin  line  of  grays  which  was  visible  to 
us  yesterday  has  disappeared.  On  the  2Oth,  the  Sixth  Corps 
marches  to  Hagerstown.  Our  company  lay  for  a  week,  just  south 
of  the  village  on  the  Boonesboro  road,  near  the  Antietam.  There 
was  at  this  point  and  at  the  rear  of  our  camp  a  large  grist-mill, 
and  behind  it  a  whiskey  distillery ;  whether  any  tanglefoot  could 
have  been  obtained  at  this  mill  during  that  week,  we  do  not  know, 
but  the  existence  of  the  still  gave  rise  to  a  facetious  yarn  at  the 
expense  of  one  of  our  corporals.  It  had  been  his  unpleasant  duty 
to  adjust  an  eccentric  soldier  upon  a  spare  wheel  of  a  caisson, 
where  he  was  to  sit  upon  the  hub  a  couple  of  hours.  The 
story  was,  that  the  eccentric  one,  knowing  the  road  to  the 
mill,  blindfold,  and  being  an  expert  at  untying  knots,  set  himself 
free  from  the  wheel,  spent  an  hour  away,  returned,  tied  himself 
again  upon  the  wheel,  and  was  never  missed  by  the  corporal,  the 
latter  never  distinguishing  the  eccentric  boy's  knots  from  his 
own. 

In  a  day  or  two  after  our  arrival,  we  were  visited  by  one  of  those 
severe  thunder-storms  that  largely  have  their  origin  in  the  condition 
of  .  the  atmosphere  after  a  great  battle,  and  which  invariably  follow 
a  protracted  burning  of  gunpowder.  This  settled  into  a  two  days' 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  83 

rain,  which  drenched  the  camps  and  their  inhabitants,  soaked  the 
roads  and  fields,  and  swelled  the  Antietam  and  its  little  tributary 
which  ran  along  the  north  end  of  our  camp. 

****** 

During  the  week,  citizens  from  the  northern  states,  even  from 
New  England,  visited  the  Union  camps.  There  came  to  our  head 
quarters  two  gentlemen,  residents  of  a  Boston  suburb,  who  were 
fathers  of  two  of  our  comrades.  The  next  day  after  their  arrival, 
they  visited  the  battlefield  of  Antietam  with  their  sons.  One  of 
the  boys,  ruuning  to  the  wagon  with  his  father's  umbrella,  caused 
considerable  merriment,  such  a  utensil  in  a  soldier's  hands  being 
as  anomalous  as  a  linen  collar  upon  his  neck. 

A  week  after  the  battle  of  Antietam,  a  reconnoissance  in  force 
was  made  upon  the  Virginia  side,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Shep- 
ardstown,  to  ascertain  the  position  and  strength  of  the  enemy  ; 
this  reconnoitring  party,  consisting  of  one  brigade,  part  of 
another,  and  a  battery,  fell  into  an  ambush,  after  driving  back  a 
battery  which  commanded  the  ford,  and  escaped  with  difficulty 
and  considerable  loss  across  the  river  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy. 
This  movement  seems  to  have  resulted  in  setting  in  motion  the 
whole  or  a  part  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  for  we  set  out  in  the  evening 
of  the  24th  and  were  upon  the  road  all  night ;  just  what  was  the 
significance  of  our  movement,  we  do  not  know.  We  found  our 
selves  in  the  morning  at  St.  James  College,  in  Washington  County; 
we  remained  here  through  the  day  and  during  the  next  night,  and 
on  the  following  day  marched  to  Bakersville.  This  is  north  of  Wil- 
liamsport  in  the  same  county ;  we  lay  upon  the  high  ground,  over 
and  down  which,  to  the  south,  extends  the  road  to  the  Potomac. 
There  is  a  valley  to  the  north  of  this  ridge  through  which  flows'  a 
small  stream,  which  furnished  sufficient  water  for  all  the  camp 
purposes  ;  but  it  seemed  to  contain  ingredients  which  were  pro 
ductive  of  chronic  diarrhoea,  which  prevailed,  during  the  fort 
night's  sojourn  at  this  place,  to  an  extent  and  in  a  degree  never 
equalled  before  or  afterward.  It  was  pitiful  to  observe  the  condi 
tion  of  many  of  the  boys  during  this  period  ;  not  a  few  of  them 
were  emaciated  as  well  as  feeble.  Privates  who  had  not  answered 
sick-call  since  the  army  moved  in  April,  were  now  obliged  to  suc 
cumb  for  a  time  to  the  ravages  of  this  debilitating  scourge. 


84  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

It  was  during  our  tarry  at  Bakersville,  that  our  commander, 
Capt.  Josiah  Porter,  was  compelled,  by  pressure  of  family  bereave 
ment,  and  business  affairs  growing  out  of  it,  to  accept  leave  of 
absence.  As  he  never  returned  to  this  command,  we  wish  to  give 
testimony  here  to  his  worth  as  a  gentleman  and  a  citizen,  and 
his  honorable  reputation  as  an  officer  of  artillery  and  soldier  of 
the  Union.  There  was  general  regret  at  his  departure.  We 
were,  however,  as  a  battery  of  light  artillery,  left  in  able  hands, 
our  first  lieutenant  commanding  being,  in  point  of  pluck,  zeal, 
and  what  is  called  esprit  de  corps,  the  equal  of  any  volunteer  bat 
tery  commander  in  the  service  ;  this  without  disparagement  to 
the  gallant  volunteer  captains  of  this  arm,  in  the  various  artillery 
brigades  of  this  and  other  military  departments.  Under  his 
command  we  marched  in  the  middle  of  October  to  Williamsport, 
on  the  Potomac,  near  the  mouth  of  Conochocheague  Creek.  Our 
guns  were  in  position  on  the  ridge  west  of  the  town,  overlooking 
the  Potomac.  The  infantry  who  accompanied  us  thither,  and  our 
selves,  seemed  to  have  come  there  as  a  corps  of  observation,  and 
to  have  taken  a  position  that  commanded  the  ford  at  this  place. 
How  much  force  there  might  have  been  upon  the  heights  beyond 
the  river,  we  do  not  know ;  probably  not  a  vast  number,  as  it  is 
now  known  that  Lee's  main  army  was  leisurely  making  its  way 
to  the  Rappahannock.  There  were  troops,  however,  visible  over 
there,  and  citizens  of  the  village  who  strolled  out  to  our  -camp 
would  point  to  them,  and  make  some  uncomplimentary  remark. 
But  this  was  a  possible  gateway  of  invasion,  inasmuch  as  Lee 
subsequently  crossed  here;  hence  we  presume  a  corps  of  obser 
vation,  with  additional  troops  within  supporting  distance,  was 
despatched  to  this  place.  This  village  in  1862  had  a  somewhat 
dilapidated  and  non-progressive  appearance,  this  probably  due  to  its 
unfortunate  geographical  situation.  Whiskey,  which  seems  to  be 
about  the  last  supply  to  fail  in  the  decadence  of  a  village,  was 
abundant  here,  and,  notwithstanding  strict  orders  forbidding  the 
sale  to  privates,  was  obtained  by  some  of  them  too  frequently.  Our 
stay  here  was  uneventful.  October  was  wearing  away,  and  one 
evening,  six  weeks  after  the  battle  of  Antietam,  after  a  two  days' 
march  from  Williamsport,  we  found  ourselves  at  Berlin,  below 
Harper's  Ferry. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  85 


CHAPTER   VI. 


A  PONTOON  bridge  had  been  thrown  across  the  Potomac  at 
this  place,  over  which  we  passed  and  climbed  the  high 
banks  on  the  Virginia  shore.  We  marched  up  London  Valley, 
which  is  a  continuation  in  Virginia  of  Pleasant  Valley,  in  Mary 
land,  lying  between  the  same  ranges,  which,  under  different  local 
names,  cross  the  state  of  Virginia.  Somewhat  more  than  a  day's 
march  from  Berlin,  the  Sixth  Corps,  having  bivouacked  on  a  farm 
which  lies  in  the  north  central  part  of  the  valley,  stretching  from 
the  pike  down  toward  Goose  Creek,  rested  there  the  following  day 
and  night.  On  the  morning  after  our  arrival  we  were  sent  to 
forage,  hay  being  needed  for  our  horses.  We  were  directed  to 
the  barns  on  this  farm,  which  stood  on  a  ridge  perhaps  half  a 
mile  east  of  the  highway,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mansion, 
negro  houses,  storehouses,  and  other  buildings  of  the  farm. 
Before  we  mounted  we  espied  the  cavalry  on  the  ground  with  feed 
bags,  evidently  bent  on  obtaining  grain  if  it  were  to  be  had, 
and  as  we  got  under  way,  the  infantry,  seemingly  prospecting  on 
individual  accounts,  were  streaming  along  ahead  of  us.  As  we 
rode  up  to  the  establishment,  we  found  some  of  the  cavalrymen 
who  had  rilled  their  feed  bags  with  grain,  watching  with  evident 
signs  of  interest  the  infantry  chasing  pigs  and  chickens.  The 
proprietor  himself  seemed  to  enjoy  the  affair  so  long  as  the  forag 
ers  failed  to  catch  any  game.  But  when  at  last  some  fleet-footed 
and  nimble-fingered  infantryman  fastened  upon  a  young  porker, 
his  rage  was  enkindled,  and  he  imprudently  declared  that  he 
"would like  to  see  the  d — d  Yankee  hung."  Natural  and  pardona 
ble  as  was  his  indignation,  the  imprudent  expression  of  it  was  the 
spark  that  ignited  a  big  blaze  for  him,  for  they  denuded  the  place 
of  pigs  and  chickens  and  negro  stores ;  all  this  either  before  any 


86  THE    STORY    OF    THE 

guard  arrived,  or  in  spite  of  the  guard.  The  hay  and  grain 
were  carried  away  by  necessity,  there  being  mounted  troops 
enough  in  the  vicinity  to  demand  for  their  horses  a  much  greater 
supply.  Was  this  justifiable  ?  Oh,  no !  not  morally  justifiable. 
But  it  is  doubtful  if  war  has  any  ethics.  If  it  has,  it  is  of  the  utili 
tarian  school,  its  two  leading  maxims  being:  "The  end  justifies 
the  means,"  and  "All  *s  fair  in  war." 

Moving  up  the  valley  from  this  place,  where  we  had  rested 
thirty-six  hours,  we  passed  over  the  height  of  land  between  the 
headwaters  of  the  streams  that  flow  into  the  Potomac  from  this 
valley,  and  those  which  are  tributary  to  the  branches  of  the  Rap- 
pahannock,  and  in  the  last  days  of  October  we  were  at  White 
Plains,  on  the  Manassas  Gap  Railroad,  west  of  Thoroughfare  Gap 
in  the  Bull  Run  range.  Though  these  plains  are  in  the  "  sunny 
South,  "  the  air  "bites  shrewdly  "  on  them  on  a  morning  in  late 
October,  and  early  frosts  are  incidents  of  that  season  in  this 
region,  likewise  nipping  winds  from  the  face  of  the  Blue  Ridge. 
The  day  before  we  started  to  cross  the  Bull  Run  range  to  the 
plains  east  of  the  mountains,  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow, 
the  branches  of  the  shrubbery  and  wildwood  along  the  run 
were  encrusted  with  flakes,  the  waters  of  the  stream  looked 
black  and  dismal,  and  a  good  stiff  breeze  was  blowing  from  the 
Blue  Ridge  some  miles  to  the  west.  The  exterior  aspect  of  camp 
and  surroundings  was  cheerless,  certainly,  but  a  "  soldier's  life  is 
always  gay,"  and  the  influence  of  a  good  fire  and  a  dipper  of  coffee 
was  such  upon  the  inner  man  as  to  render  him  fit  and  willing 
the  next  morning,  especially  if  mounted,  to  splash  through  the 
run  at  the  ford,  and  then  plod  along  all  day  over  the  twisting, 
muddy,  half  passable  mountain  roads  that  lead  to  the  Warrenton 
pike  on  the  other  side  of  the  range. 

This  Bull  Run  range  is  nothing  else  than  the  Virginia  section 
of  the  Blue  or  Kittatinny,  the  most  eastern  spur  of  the  Appa 
lachian,  which  commence  in  New  Jersey.  It  is  a  very  interesting 
region  from  a  geographical  or  geological  point  of  view.  Some  of 
the  most  wonderful  natural  scenes  are  embraced  in  this  system 
along  the  thousand  miles  of  its  extent.  Rivers  cut  their  way 
through  from  the  west  in  winding  channels  between  lofty  wooded 
banks.  The  veins  of  the  rock  structure  of  this  range  contain,  in 
its  long  course  from  Jersey  to  Georgia,  a  wider  variety  of  minerals 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  8? 

than  any  other  region  of  similar  area  in  the  world.  The  gold 
fields  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  belong  to  this  region. 

In  northern  Virginia  it  has  two  noted  passes  :  one  at  Aldie, 
and  the  famous  Thoroughfare  Gap,  between  Loudon  Valley  and 
Manassas  Plains.  Through  the  latter  extends  the  Manassas 
Gap  Railroad,  to  Manassas  Junction.  The  course  of  the  pass  is 
from  the  southwest  to  the  northeast  ;  our  course  being  to  the 
southeast,  as  we  are  moving  toward  Warrenton,  we  do  not  go 
through  the  gap,  but  pass  the  mouth  of  it,  and  climb  the  mountain 
side  east  of  Salem. 

The  ascent  was  difficult,  and  the  progress  slow,  over  the  broad 
summit,  whose  surface  is  broken  and  irregular,  like  that  of  the 
valley  which  we  had  lately  traversed.  In  following  the  mountain 
roads,  you  jog  through  the  same  soft  soil  as  that  of  the  fields, 
which  the  rain  has  rendered  plastic.  Here  and  there,  to  the  top 
of  the  mountains  and  down  the  eastern  descent,  families  had 
settled,  and  had  established  homes  in  this  wild  section.  We 
would  pass,  now  and  again  a  rude  cottage,  having  in  front  and 
around  it  a  vegetable  garden.  We  recollect  one  in  the  midst  of 
the  forest,  high  up  on  the  crest.  The  proprietor  was  sitting  on 
the  threshold.  Some  soldiers  came  running  through  the  garden 
before  the  door,  and  some  of  them  stopped  to  pluck  something 
from  the  grounds,  the  man  expostulating  with  them.  Some  chap 
told  him  he  should  be  a  Union  man  if  he  did  not  want  his 
garden  plundered.  "That  don't  make  any  odds,"  said  he,  "I 
was  Union ;  I  never  got  any  protection ;  it 's  no  use  to  be  a  Union 
man,  you  have  to  suffer  from  both  sides."  These  assertions  were 
mingled  with  some  profanity,  which  no  doubt  relieved  the  outraged 
spirit  of  the  mountaineer.  We  were  impressed  by  the  large  grain 
of  truth  in  the  man's  asseverations. 

It  was  near  night  when  we  came  down  to  the  base  of  the 
mountain  on  the  eastern  side.  "  What  place  is  this  ?  "  asked  one 
of  our  number  of  a  soldier  who  had  arrived  earlier.  "  New  Balti 
more."  " Where  is  the  village?"  "I  don't  know;  somewhere 
about." 

We  were  now  once  more  in  the  heart  of  old  Virginia.  The  army 
lay  on  the  great  plain  that  extends  south  of  Bull  Run  to  the  upper 
Rappahannock,  and  thence  west  into  Culpepper  County.  Army 
headquarters  were  at  Warrenton,  which  lies  west  of  the  great 


88  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

Midland  Railroad,  then  called  Alexandria  and  Orange,  and  is  con 
nected  with  that  road  by  a  branch.  We  seem  to  have  been  at 
this  stage,  upon  the  right  and  rear  of  the  army.  It  was  now  in 
the  first  days  of  November,  and  the  woods  and  fields  were  in 
autumn  guise ;  the  nights  were  chilly,  and  the  mornings  crisp  and 
cold  for  an  hour  after  sunrise. 

During  the  two  or  three  days  next  preceding  the  8th  of  Novem 
ber  we  were  scouring  the  west  side  of  the  mountain,  which  we  had 
crossed,  for  haystacks,  and  with  considerable  success ;  a  lieuten 
ant  with  forty  mounted  drivers,  more  or  less,  and  their  sergeants, 
would  ride  through  the  woods  and  across  the  open  fields  or  along 
the  cross-ways,  in  quest  of  feed ;  and,  when  hay  was  found,  each 
horseman  would  make  up  two  bundles  as  large  as  he  could  conve 
niently  carry,  which  were  secured  with  halter  shanks,  whose  ends 
were  tied  over  the  horse's  back,  so  that  the  bundles  hung  one  on 
either  side,  like  panniers  ;  a  troop  loaded  in  this  wise,  defiling  down 
the  side  of  the  ridge,  the  ponies  striving  occasionally  to  draw  a 
wisp  from  the  packs  that  brushed  their  sides,  or  shying  when 
tickled  or  prodded  by  a  straw,  afforded  quite  an  amusing  picture 
to  an  observer.  We  were  returning  from  one  of  these  expeditions 
in  the  forenoon  of  the  8th  of  November,  when,  striking  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  the  main  road  that  comes  over  it,  we 
observed  a  commotion  in- the  camps  alongside, —  men  rushing  to 
the  street,  and  a  cry,  "  Bring  out  the  colors  !  "  "  What 's  the  mat 
ter  ? "  we  inquire.  "  McClellan  is  taking  leave  of  the  army."  And 
sure  enough,  there  were  Generals  McClellan  and  Burnside  riding 
along  the  great  road.  Little  Mac,  bareheaded,  was  bowing  right 
and  left  amid  the  clamorous  applause  of  his  late  comrades.  We 
believe  that  none  of  our  company  had  any  previous  intimation  of 
the  change  of  commanders. 

From  the  time  of  our  crossing  the  Potomac,  five  miles  below 
Harper's  Ferry,  in  the  last  days  of  October,  McClellan,  in  his 
course  southward  guarding  the  passes  of  the  Blue  Ridge  on  his 
right,  through  which  he  threatened  to  issue,  succeeded  in  conceal 
ing  his  intention  so  far  that,  on  our  arrival  upon  the  plains 
around  and  to  the  north  of  Warrenton,  one  half  of  the  Confeder 
ate  army  of  northern  Virginia  was  at  Culpepper,  having  moved 
parallel  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac ;  the  other  half  was  scat 
tered  through  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  It  seems  to  have  been 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  89 

our  general's  design  to  throw  his  army  between  these  widely 
detached  portions  of  the  Confederate  army,  moving  obliquely 
from  Warrenton.  But  last  night  he  was  ordered  to  turn  over  his 
command  to  Gen.  Burnside.  Burnside  reluctantly  assumed  com 
mand  in  obedience  to  the  mandate  of  the  war  department.  He 
halted  here  on  the  plains  around  Warrenton,  reorganizing  the 
army  upon  a  novel  plan.  The  six  army  corps  were  consolidated 
into  three  grand  divisions,  the  right,  centre,  and  left,  respectively 
commanded  by  Generals  Sumner,  Hooker,  and  Franklin.  The 
Sixth  Corps  now  formed  a  part  of  the  left  grand  division,  and  was 
commanded  by  "Baldy"  Smith,  the  First  Corps  by  Gen.  John 
F.  Reynolds. 

The  right  grand  division  arrived  at  Falmouth  November  17. 
It  is  said  that  at  this  time,  Fredericksburg  was  occupied  by 
but  one  regiment  of  cavalry,  four  companies  of  infantry,  and 
a  light  battery,  and  that  the  river  before  the  town  was  forclable. 
Burnside,  however,  it  is  alleged,  declined  to  give  orders  to 
the  right  grand  division  to  cross  and  take  possession  of  the 
heights  behind  the  town,  "until  his  communications  should  be 
established."  Burnside's  intentions  were  now  clearly  manifest 
to  the  enemy ;  Aquia  Creek  his  base  of  supplies,  Fredericks- 
burg  his  first  objective  point,  and  ultimately  a  forward  move 
ment  along  the  "  air-line  road"  to  Richmond.  The  delays  of 
the  next  twenty-three  days  gave  the  enemy  ample  time  to  disturb 
these  plans  of  the  Federal  commander.  The  Sixth  Corps  moved 
obliquely  to  the  southeast  from  the  vicinity  of  New  Baltimore; 
the  First  Division,  to  which  our  company  had  always  been  attached, 
was  now  commanded  by  Gen.  Brooks,  a  stern  disciplinarian  and 
able  soldier,  Gen.  Slocum  having  succeeded  to  the  command  of 
the  Twelfth  Corps.  The  division  artillery  organization  remained 
substantially  the  same ;  but  Company  D,  Second  U.  S.,  the  one 
regular  army  battery  of  the  four  attached  to  this  division,  was  in 
charge  of  Lieut.  Williston.  Our  battery  commander  had  not  yet 
received  his  captain's  commission,  though  a  vacancy  existed  by 
the  resignation  of  Capt.  Porter.  Lieut.  Federhen  was  our  junior 
first,  and  Lieutenants  Sawin  and  Greene  (the  latter  raised  from 
the  ranks  by  the  commission  of  the  governor  of  his  state)  were 
respectively  our  senior  and  junior  second.  Sergt.  French,  pre 
viously  of  the  first  detachment,  had  been  made  orderly  sergeant, 


QO  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

and  was  next  in  order  of  promotion  to  the  junior  second  lieuten 
ancy.  The  company,  by  means  of  two  batches  of  recruits  during 
the  year  last  past,  had  now  nearly  the  original  complement. 

The  line  of  march  of  the  several  divisions  of  the  left  of  the 
army,  seems  to  have  been  chosen  with  reference  to  their  subse 
quent  position  in  the  battle  of  the  I3th  of  December,  — the  First 
Corps,  whose  badge  was  the  circular  disk,  red,  white,  and  blue, 
respectively,  for  its  three  divisions,  marching  at  the  extreme  left, 
toward  Belle  Plain  and  Potomac  Creek  ;  the  Sixth  Corps,  whose 
badge  was  the  "  Greek  Cross,"  red,  white,  and  blue  for  the  First, 
Second,  and  Third  Divisions,  respectively,  moving  to  the  right 
and  rear  of  the  First  Corps. 

It  must  have  been  as  late  as  the  i8th  of  November  when  we 
reached  Stafford,  C.  H.,  northeast  of  Falmouth,  the  divisions  of 
the  First  Corps  lying  to  the  left  and  front,  and  both  corps  ranged 
before  the  base  of  supplies  at  the  inlets  of  the  Potomac.  It  was 
said  that  the  pontoon  trains  that  had  been  ordered  from  Washing 
ton  had  not  yet  arrived.  At  all  events,  there  was  now  a  delay  of 
about  three  weeks  after  reaching  Stafford,  C.  H.,  before  our  com 
mand  again  broke  camp  ;  during  which  time  there  was  a  gathering 
of  the  Confederate  clans,  far  and  near,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Rappahannock,  and  undoubtedly  the  heights  behind  the  town 
were  rendered  impregnable. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Stafford,  C.  rf.,  was  an  abundance  of  wood, 
much  white  oak,  which  makes  a  slow-burning,  hot  fire,  and  leaves 
a  white  ash.  Our  company  and  the  First  Maryland,  which  lay 
side  by  side,  had  their  experience  in  working  up  for  fuel  more  or 
less  of  this  tough-fibred  material.  It  was  amusing  to  see  the 
variety  of  axes  employed,  that  had  been  through  various  stages  of 
use  in  a  multiplicity  of  hands.  But  the  use  of  some  of  them  that 
were  unwedged,  or  improperly  wedged,  was  a  serious  matter.  We 
observed  one  day  one  of  our  boys  go  down  to  the  spring,  which 
lay  in  the  hollow  between  our  camp  and  that  of  the  First  Mary 
land,  both  being  upon  rising  ground  sloping  to  the  run.  Two 
Maryland  boys  were  chopping,  a  couple  of  rods  from  the  spring ;  just 
as  the  Massachusetts  man  stooped  to  dip  water,  his  head  being 
on  the  plane  of  the  brink  of  the  spring,  one  of  the  axes  came 
flying  from  the  helve  and  fell  upon  the  ground  on  the  bank,  just 
near  enough  to  neatly  clear  the  man's  head.  Mingled  fright  and 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  9! 

amazement  rendered  the  three  men  dumb  for  a  moment,  when 
the  Massachusetts  man  said,  "You  had  better  wedge  that  axe!" 

Our  junior  bugler,  by  the  discharge  of  his  companion,  was  now  our 
chief  musician,  and,  being  quite  an  enthusiast,  in  his  desire  to  per 
fect  himself  he  made  the  woods  ring  in  these  days,  with  the 
practice  notes  uf  his  instrument.  It  was  during  this  wait  at 
Stafford  that  we  received,  each  man,  a  nice,  warm,  woolen,  knit 
blouse ;  these  were  said  to  have  been  part  of  the  cargo  of  a  cap 
tured  blockade  runner.  They  were  gratefully  appreciated  by  the 
boys  during  the  ensuing  winter.  The  date  of  the  New  England 
Thanksgiving  passed  while  we  were  here.  Winter,  as  it  is  expe 
rienced  on  the  lower  Potomac,  and  in  that  belt  of  Virginia  in 
which  lies  Stafford  County,  was  now  upon  us  :  rain,  drizzle,  damp, 
moist  air,  then  a  freeze ;  little  snow  for  any  length  of  time  upon 
the  ground,  but  occasional  falls,  covering  the  earth  and  quite 
rapidly  disappearing,  leaving  the  roads  in  such  condition  as  to 
render  corduroy  indispensable  to  the  continuous  movement  of 
the  trains  from  the  landing. 

A  cold  wave  settled  over  this  region  in  the  first  days  of  De 
cember,  with  a  steadily  low  temperature  for  a  week.  It  was  about 
the  8th  of  December  when  we  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Belle 
Plain.  This  is  a  basin  extending  inland  from  the  Potomac,  sur 
rounded  on  all  sides,  except  the  east,  by  hills.  Its  position  with 
reference  to  the  camps,  then  and  during  the  whole  winter,  made 
it  a  convenient  base  of  quartermaster's  supplies.  There  was  a  very 
noticeable  rising  of  the  temperature  of  the  air  on  this  afternoon, 
and  during  the  evening  ;  and  on  the  following  morning,  the  stretch 
of  plain  and  the  hills  around  and  beyond  it  were  white  with 
snow. 

The  sun  shone  bright  and  warm  ;  there  was  a  hum  and  a  bustle 
in  the  camps  that  lay  thick  at  the  base  and  upon  the  sides  of  the 
hills,  on  the  west  and  south  of  the  plain.  Gen.  Brooks's  headquar 
ters  were  upon  a  comparatively  high  hill  to  the  south  of  us.  We 
observed  in  their  vicinity  several  men  lugging  rails  upon  their 
shoulders,  evidently  for  disciplinary  exercise.  What  had  they 
been  doing?  At  another  place,  several  teamsters  were  standing 
upon  barrels,  this  also  for  punishment.  But  the  rogues  were  dis 
porting  themselves  in  their  limited  circles  as  though  they  did  not 
feel  very  keenly  the  disgrace  which  is  thought  to  attach  itself  to 


Q2  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

such  conspicuousness.  In  this  part  of  Virginia,  a  very  common 
tree  is  the  persimmon,  whose  wood  and  foliage  resemble  the 
wild  black  cherry,  but  whose  double-stoned  fruit  bears  a  close  exte 
rior  likeness  to  the  red  horse-plums  which  abound  in  northern  New 
England.  These  persimmon  plums,  when  ripe  before  the  frost,  are 
red,  sweet,  puckery,  and  unpleasant  to  the  taste,,  suggesting  choke 
cherries.  But  after  the  frost,  the  outer  skin  has  a  bluish  cast,  and 
they  are  delicious  ;  no  fig  or  date  can  equal  them.  On  this  fore 
noon  in  question,  the  persimmon  trees  in  the  fields  lying  over 
the  brow  of  the  range  of  hills  about  Belle  Plain,  hung  full  of 
fruit,  looking  at  a  little  distance  like  nut-trees  with  a  wealth  of 
nuts  ungathered.  It  is  said,  "  the  longest  pole  rakes  the  per 
simmon,"  but  the  boys,  having  no  poles  at  hand,  climbed  the  trees 
and  shook  a  shower  of  plums  into  the  snow ;  there  was  a  general 
feast  of  them.  Hearing  cries  as  of  lamentation  in  a  hut  which 
we  were  passing  on  our  way  to  the  camp,  we  peeped  in  and  found 
a  dejected-looking,  gray-haired  old  negro,  and  a  mulatto  girl  per 
haps  eighteen  years  old,  who  were  bewailing  the  loss  of  bedding 
and  other  household  indispensables  which  some  miscreant  in  the 
absence  of  the  inmates  had  stolen.  "  Oh,  dear  !  what  will  de  old 
woman  done,  when  she  find  de  bed  gone  ?  I  dunno  !  "  The  fireplace 
was  empty,  but  for  a  few  cold  ashes  ;  the  bare  walls,  which  were  of 
logs  chinked  with  clay,  looked  dreary  enough.  "  I  never  saw  such 
a  picture  of  extreme  poverty,"  said  Comrade  L.,  and  surely  the 
scene  was  calculated  to  impress  one  with  the  force  of  the  adage, 
"  One  half  of  the  world  knows  not  how  the  other  half  lives."  Try 
to  conceive  of  a  log  hut,  perhaps  fifteen  by  eighteen,  with  a  diminu 
tive  L  or  wing  built  of  the  same  material,  and  plastered  with  clay 
fora  fireplace  and  a  chimney  ;  the  cracks  between  the  logs  pointed 
with  clay  ;  the  floor,  if  there  be  any,  of  the  loft  between  the  gables 
and  under  the  roof,  of  poles  or  logs  ;  a  scuttle  in  this  floor  reached 
by  a  rude  ladder  ;  the  log  roof  of  the  cabin  thatched  with  a  coarse 
grass ;  and  you  have  an  approximate  notion  of  an  abode  of  a  free 
negro  or  a  buckrah  in  ante  bellum  days  in  those  sections  where 
either  genus  was  indigenous. 


GEN.    WM.    F.    SMITH. 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  93 


CHAPTER    VII. 


ON  the  loth  of  December,  there  was  a  general  movement  of 
the  left  grand  division  toward  the  Rappahannock.  On  the 
nth,  Thursday,  the  rear  of  the  Sixth  Corps  moved  across  the 
road  that  runs  from  Falmouth  to  the  Potomac,  via  White  Oak 
church,  passing  the  church,  which  is  perhaps  three  miles  from 
the  town,  and  as  far  from  the  brow  of  the  height  which  overlooks 
the  valley  of  the  Rappahannock  a  couple  of  miles  below  Fred- 
ericksburg,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  From  White  Oak 
church  southerly  to  the  brow  of  the  highland  of  this  section,  the 
country  was  more  or  less  wooded,  the  surface  broken  by  knolls, 
ridges  and  ravines  among  them, —  all  of  which  contributed  to 
conceal  the  movements  of  troops  from  the  enemy  upon  the  opposite 
shore  of  the  river. 

Over  this  ground,  gradually  coiling  itself  up,  so  as  to  occupy  a 
comparatively  small  area,  the  left  grand  division  had  been  moving 
for  a  day  and  a  half.  Engineers  with  the  pontoon  trains  and  with 
supporting  infantry,  had  been  pushed  forward  over  the  height  to 
the  plain  which  extends  along  the  high  banks  of  the  river,  and  by 
noon  a  bridge  had  been  thrown  across,  and  a  roadway  had  been 
cut  through  the  steep  bank  from  the  plain  on  the  left  side,  and 
another  through  the  steep  bank  to  the  great  plain  on  the  right 
shore. 

Thursday  night  and  the  following  forenoon  were  consumed  in 
the  passage  of  the  river.  The  Sixth  Corps,  which  was  the  right 
and  centre  of  Franklin's  force,  crossing  on  the  I2th,  moved  nearly 
south  from  "Franklin's  Crossing,"  over  the  plain  which  extends 
for  miles  east  of  Fredericksburg.  There  was  little  firing  on 
Friday.  The  battle  of  the  I3th  of  December  was,  in  effect,  two 
distinct,  terrible  combats  :  the  conflict  of  the  Federal  left  wing 


94  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

with  Jackson,  and  Stuart's  cavalry  and  horse  artillery,  on  the  east ; 
the  sublimely  bold,  but  humanly  hopeless  and  cruelly  fruitless 
assault  of  the  Federal  right  and  centre  upon  the  heights  behind 
Fredericksburg,  held  by  Longstreet's  corps. 

Of  the  latter,  where  a  division  went  into  the  fight  6,000  strong, 
and  at  night  its  general  could  count  but  1,500;  where  desperate 
valor,  never  surpassed  on  any  field,  made  its  six  frantic  dashes 
against  an  almost  impregnable  position ;  where  6,000  men  fell  be 
fore  a  fatal  stone-wall, — history  has  already  spoken  with  a  sense  of 
the  hopeless  inadequacy  of  descriptive  language.  Concerning  the 
former,  in  which  the  contestants  fought  upon  more  nearly  equal 
terms,  we  venture  with  no  little  trepidation  to  pen  a  line. 

The  heights  behind  Fredericksburg,  which  at  that  place  are 
perhaps  one  third  of  a  mile  from  the  river,  take  below  the  town  a 
gradually  southeastern  course  farther  and  farther  from  the  river, 
having  to  the  east  of  the  town,  between  them  and  the  river,  an 
extended  plain,  perhaps  six  miles  long,  and  in  width,  from  the 
river  bank  to  their  base,  varying  from  half  a  mile  to  two  miles. 
The  heights  themselves  diminish  in  elevation  toward  the  south 
east,  finally  losing  themselves  in  a  low  region  called  Massaponax 
Valley.  These  heights  were  thickly  wooded,  and  upon  them  were 
the  Confederate  batteries.  On  the  Confederate  right  was  Early, 
with  Walker's  artillery  in  front  and  Stuart's  cavalry  and  horse 
artillery  on  his  right.  On  the  left  and  nearer  to  Fredericksburg 
was  A.  P.  Hill,  and  behind  him  D.  H.  Hill  in  reserve.  The  turn 
pike  to  Fredericksburg  crosses  the  plain  half  a  mile  from  the 
river,  and  between  it  and  the  heights  extends  the  railroad. 

Confronting  Early  and  Stuart  was  Reynold's  corps,  with  the 
Pennsylvania  Reserves  on  the  extreme  left.  Opposed  to  A.  P. 
Hill  was  the  Sixth  Corps,  with  Brooks's  division  on  the  right,  with 
the  batteries  of  Williston,  Hexamer,  Walcott,  and  McCartney,  the 
last  named  being  supported  by  the  Fifth  Maine  Infantry. 

The  plan  of  the  attack  as  determined  on  the  previous  night, 
1 2th,  was  for  Franklin  with  his  force  and  a  part  of  Hooker's  to 
make  the  attack  in  force  on  the  left,  while  Gen.  Sumner's  attack 
upon  the  heights  behind  the  town  was  to  depend  upon  Franklin's 
success.  A  misinterpretation  of  instructions  received  by  Gen. 
Franklin  on  the  morning  of  the  I3th,  however,  it  is  said,  led 
that  general  to  conclude  that  the  commander  in  chief  had  altered 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  95 

his  determination  of  the  previous  night,  and  now  only  contem 
plated  an  armed  reconnoissance  with  a  single  division.  It  is  also 
alleged  that  Generals  Reynolds  and  Smith,  in  concurrence  with  their 
superior,  placed  the  same  construction  upon  the  orders  of  the 
morning  of  the  I3th.  This  morning  the  plain  and  the  heights 
were  enveloped  in  a  thick  fog.  The  battle  commenced  at  ten 
o'clock,  when  the  fog  was  lifted  so  as  to  disclose  to  each  other 
the  position  of  the  opposing  forces. 

The  engagement  was  opened  by  the  batteries  of  the  Sixth 
Corps,  their  fire  being  directed  against  Hood's  division,  which  was 
immediately  to  the  left  of  A.  P.  Hill's  division.  At  the  same 
moment,  the  Pennsylvania  Reserves,  with  Gibbon's  division  in 
reserve  upon  its  right  and  Doubleday  in  reserve,  advanced  upon 
the  left,  encountering  a  fire  from  the  Confederate  horse  artillery  in 
the  copse,  which  was  silenced  by  Meade's  batteries,  and  the  divi 
sion  continued  forward,  shelling  the  woods  in  the  front. 

Now  a  vigorous  fire  was  opened  by  the  batteries  of  Early's  and 
Hill's  divisions,  met  by  the  simultaneous  discharge  of  all  the  Fed 
eral  batteries  of  the  left  grand  division  ;  not  one  was  unemployed. 
Amidst  a  fire  of  shell  and  canister  Meade  continued  his  advance, 
the  artillery  of  the  Sixth  Corps  still  actively  engaging  the  atten 
tion  of  the  force  in  their  front,  drawing  their  fire  and  preventing 
the  detaching  of  any  troops  from  that  section  to  the  aid  of  Early. 
Now  Meade's  division  drives  three  Confederate  batteries  across 
the  railroad  track,  and,  attacking  the  division  next  in  front,  turns 
back  both  wings  of  that  force  and  captures  two  hundred  prisoners. 

Gen.  Meade  was  in  truth  making  a  reconnoissance  in  force,  but 
the  movement  was  a  phase  of  the  battle  that  was  now  being  par 
ticipated  in  by  the  entire  left  of  the  army.  Now  the  batteries  of 
Brooks's  division  fire  incessantly,  their  shots  directed  by  the  jets  of 
smoke  issuing  from  the  guns  of  their  antagonists.  As  volley  suc 
ceeded  volley,  and  shot  and  shell  plunged  and  thundered  from  the 
ridge  over  the  plain  and  from  the  plain  to  the  ridge,  it  seemed  as 
though  each  battery  was  exposed  to  an  enfilading  fire. 

Comrade  Richardson  is  wounded  ;  we  are  short  of  ammunition ; 
two  of  our  caissons  are  sent  to  the  rear,  for  a  further  supply. 
"  Sergeant,"  said  Gen.  Brooks,  "put  those  caissons  over  the  ground, 
if  you  ever  did  !  "  Twice  the  infantry  of  the  Sixth,  ably  handled, 
dashed  against  the  lines  of  A.  P.  Hill,  but  the  position  of  the 


96  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

latter  is  impregnable.  He  must  have  been  reinforced  from  the 
enemy's  left.  Still  a  terrific  canonnade  from  our  artillery.  Our 
brave  comrade,  Sergt.  Stephen  H.  Reynolds,  commanding  the 
second  detachment,  is  wounded  in  the  leg,  and  borne  from  the  field ; 
amputation  having  been  found  necessary,  he  leaves  the  limb  on 
the  shore  of  the  Rappahannock. 

It  would  seem  that  the  enemy  in  our  front  have  been  aug 
mented  by  troops  drawn  from  the  rear  of  the  town.  The  condition 
of  the  First  and  Sixth  Corps  is  critical.  But  reinforcements  are 
at  hand ;  Gen.  Hooker  has  sent  us  Birney's  division.  Once  more 
the  tide  is  turned  from  the  plain  to  the  ridge  ;  the  Confederates 
seek  their  old  position. 

From  almost  the  earliest  moment  of  the  engagement  till  near 
noon,  there  was  one  gun  upon  the  Confederate  right,  probably  a 
smooth-bore  twelve-pounder,  that  was  aimed  with  great  precision, 
making  sad  havoc  with  the  Federal  flank.  Three  Federal  field 
batteries  were  at  one  time  brought  to  bear  upon  it,  and  it  received 
the  fire  of  a  heavy  battery  across  the  river,  yet  for  a  long  time 
was  not  silenced. 

Sunday,  the  I4th,  was  quiet.  No  doubt  Stonewall  Jackson 
attended  service  in  the  morning  and  afternoon.  But  Federals 
and  Confederates  were  mainly  engaged  in  burying  their  dead,  and 
caring  for  the  wounded.  Nor  was  the  position  of  our  army  on 
Monday  materially  changed  ;  but  the  heavens  gave  token  of  a 
slowly  gathering  storm.  These  symptoms  became  yet  more 
imminent  as  this  tedious  and  uneventful  day  drew  to  a  close.  The 
rank  and  file  had  made  such  preparations  as  were  possible  in  the 
situation  of  things,  for  passing  the  night  upon  the  field.  Some 
comrades  who  had  been  to  the  river,  reported  that  hay  and  earth 
were  being  strewn  upon  the  pontoons.  "  What  is  it  for  ?  Are  we 

going  to  back  out  of  this  ?  "  asked  Sergeant .  It  seemed  so. 

A  boisterous  south  wind,  full  in  the  direction  of  the  Confederate 
lines,  had  arisen,  and  on  its  heels  came  a  storm,  a  fierce  one.  In 
the  midst  of  the  gale  and  blizzard  we  withdrew  to  the  river.  The 
night  was  decidedly  favorable  for  a  "masterly  retreat,"  as  all 
sounds  were  borne  north  on  the  blast,  and  away  from  the  Confed 
erate  encampments.  The  dark,  dismal  night  was  consumed  in  the 
crossing, —  troops  of  all  arms  crawling  across,  troops  of  all  arms 
huddled  upon  the  bank  awaiting  their  turn  to  follow. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  97 

While  a  portion  of  our  column  was  upon  the  bridge,  we  were 
brought  to  a  halt  in  the  pitchy,  inky  darkness,  which  rendered  it 
impossible  to  see  the  sides  of  the  bridge,  or  to  peer  ahead  to  note 
the  movements  of  the  leading  teams.  Some  pontoons  near  the 
north  bank  had  become  separated.  There  is  a  swaying  of  the 
floating  mass  of  boats,  a  period  of  anxious  suspense  for  those 
upon  the  driveway.  There  is  an  adjustment  of  the  difficulty  by 
the  engineers,  and  we  move  on,  climb  the  bank,  cross  the  plain, 
and  ascend  the  heights  on  the  north  side.  There  in  the  woods 
and  open  patches,  among  them  and  beyond  the  brow  of  the  hills, 
the  army  coiled  itself  as  it  crawled  from  the  river,  similarly  as  it 
wound  its  folds  together  on  the  same  ground  preparatory  to  spring 
ing  across  the  river  five  days  ago. 

In  the  forenoon,  when  our  retreat  and  safe  return  to  Stafford 
Heights  was  apparent  to  the  enemy,  he  began  to  fire  over,  perhaps 
hoping  to  do  some  damage  to  the  rear  of  our  force,  portions  of 
which  he  could  doubtless  discern  upon  the  brow  of  the  heights, 
and  in  the  edge  of  the  woods.  Our  heavy  artillery  along  the  ridge, 
which  had  been  more  or  less  active  on  the  I3th,  responded  in  such 
a  way  that  the  tail  of  the  retreat  was  pretty  effectually  covered, 
little  if  any  loss  resulting,  beyond  the  expenditure  of  ammunition 
by  our  heavy  guns. 

Gradually,  during  the  two  following  days,  the  grand  division 
was  brought  into  the  position  it  was  destined  to  occupy  in  winter 
cantonment,  the  heart  of  the  force  being  drawn  back,  perhaps 
two  miles  from  the  brow  of  Stafford  Heights,  facing  the  river. 
The  First  Corps  was  upon  the  left,  the  Sixth  on  its  right,  and 
nearer  Falmouth,  the  First  Division  of  the  Sixth  lying  around 
White  Oak  church. 


98  THE    STORY    OF    THE 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


OUR  company  lay  in  the  rear  of  the  church,  and  Hexamer's 
Hoboken  Battery  lay  upon  our  right.  The  next  week  was 
diligently  employed  in  preparing  as  comfortable  winter  quarters 
for  men  and  horses  as  available  means  would  permit ;  and  the 
ingenuity  and  industry  of  the  individuals  of  the  several  detach 
ments  soon  reared  a  village  of  small  log  cabins  with  stone  fire 
places,  with  their  shelter-tents  for  the  roofs  of  their  dwellings,  that 
was  interesting  to  behold.  A  corral  for  the  horses,  the  most  com 
fortable  and  convenient  that  we  ever  saw  in  a  winter  camp  in  this 
army,  was  contrived  by  clearing  an  oval  space  in  the  clump  of 
evergreens,  and  by  further  sheltering  it  from  the  blasts  by  a  tall, 
thick,  brush-work  fence  of  evergreen  boughs.  The  picket-rope 
was  stretched  around  the  oval,  at  sufficient  distance  from  the 
fence  to  allow  the  horses  to  stand  with  their  heads  facing  in  upon 
the  plot.  It  was  undeniable  that  few  companies  of  the  mounted 
service  that  participated  in  all  the  campaigns  from  the  spring 
of  1862  until  January,  1863,  could  show  during  that  period  a 
better  record  in  regard  to  the  care  and  preservation  of  army 
horses  than  ours.  This  was  due  to  the  selection  of  experienced 
and  faithful  stable  sergeants  and  assistants,  who,  under  the  direc 
tion  of  Lieut.  Federhen,  who  was  a  lover  of  the  animal,  pursued 
a  careful  system  of  feeding,  watering,  and  grooming.  So,  under 
the  keen  supervision  of  Commander  McCartney,  who  was  familiar 
with  and  watchful  of  every  detail  of  the  work,  our  stable  always 
presented  a  first-class  appearance,  and  our  complement  of  horses, 
in  the  field  or  on  the  march,  was  among  the  most  efficient. 

During  the  week  in  which  we  were  engaged  in  preparing  win 
ter  quarters  and  were  busily  working  up  the  details  of  the  arrange 
ments  for  spending  some  weeks  at  this  place,  an  address  from 


CAPT.  WM.  H.  MCCARTNEY. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  99 

President  Lincoln  was  read  to  the  company  at  the  five  o'clock 
roll-call,  in  which  he  commended  the  bravery  of  the  troops  in  the 
action  of  the  I3th  of  December,  and  sought  to  comfort  and 
encourage  them,  saying,  "  It  was  not  a  defeat,  but  a  mistake." 
The  reader  will  remember  our  allusion  to  his  visit  at  Harrison's 
Landing,  and  our  remarks  upon  the  hopeful  patriotism  of  Old 
Abe. 

We  believe  this  period,  from  December,  1862,  until  the  following 
May,  may  be  termed  the  darkest  hours  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac.  The  death  rate  in  the  camps  during  the  winter  must  have 
been  higher  than  during  any  other  season  of  cessation  from  active 
duty  in  the  field  or  on  the  march.  This  was  not  due  to  any  cir 
cumstances  of  the  situation  of  the  camps  ;  these  deaths  and  the 
diseases  from  which  they  often  resulted,  were  the  culmination 
of  the  excessive  fatigue,  hardships,  and  wounds  of  the  three 
campaigns,  hastened  by  the  despondency  which  the  immediate 
military  situation  engendered.  Every  afternoon  we  heard  the 
"Dead  March,"  and  every  afternoon  saw  some  funeral  cortege 
moving  to  the  little  cemetery  at  the  rear  of  White  Oak  church. 
We  had  but  one  death  in  our  company,  although  several  were 
discharged,  whose  disability,  in  the  judgment  of  the  surgeons, 
rendered  it  improbable  that  they  would  again  be  serviceable  sol 
diers.  We  believe  the  number  of  these  did  not  exceed  four.  One 
comrade  who  passed  "  over  the  river  "  at  this  time,  deserves  more 
than  a  passing  notice.  John  Pooler,  our  chief  blacksmith,  a  skil 
ful  mechanic,  a  good  soldier,  an  upright  man,  succumbed  to  a 
fever  which  must  have  been  malignant  indeed,  to  overcome  a  con 
stitution  so  strong  as  our  comrade  possessed.  We  lost  a  man 
whose  place  was  difficult  to  fill ;  for,  beside  the  constant  requisi 
tion  upon  his  services  for  horse-shoeing,  and  for  repair  of  our 
equipments,  there  were  emergencies  often  arising  in  our  career 
when  very  much  depended  upon  this  artificer's  genius  to  contrive 
and  skill  to  execute.  Comrade  Pooler's  character  compelled  the 
respect  of  officers  and  men.  The  eulogistic  remarks  of  the  vener 
able  chaplain  of  the  Fifth  Maine,  who  officiated  at  the  funeral, 
remarks  which  must  have  been  inspired  by  our  commander, 
attested  how  thoroughly  the  latter  appreciated  the  deceased. 

Some  days  before  New  Year,  evangelists,  under  the  auspices  of 
the  United  States  Christian  Commission,  began  to  hold  meetings 


IOO  THE    STORY     OF     THE 

in  old  White  Oak  church.  From  the  regiments  and  batteries 
around  about,  a  large  concourse  of  auditors  would  be  gathered  in 
the  evening  and  on  Sunday.  These  occasions  furnished  an  oppor 
tunity  for  vocal  exercises,  elocutionary  and  musical,  by  the  soldiers 
of  the  Sixth  Corps,  the  results  showing  that  this  command  could 
furnish  a  delegation  which  would  possess  a  wide  range  of  talent. 
There  were,  moreover,  among  the  evangelists,  some  young  men 
whose  presence  and  whose  evident  adaptation  to  the  work  of  their 
mission,  conjoined  to  undoubted  good  moral  character,  doubtless 
made  them  efficient  agents  for  good.  One  of  these  gentlemen  was 
one  evening  descanting  in  a  popular  way  upon  the  Commandents, 
when  a  rattle-brained  fellow  passing  the  door,  bawled  out,  "  Go  to 
hell !"  The  self-possessed  exhorter,  abashed  neither  by  the  shout 
nor  the  sensation  which  it  created  in  the  audience,  quickly  made 
of  the  incident  a  text,  upon  which  he  preached  a  brief  sermon  on 
profanity,  relating  at  the  outset  the  now  threadbare  yarn  about 
Beecher's  " '  T  is  a  d  —  d  hot  day." 

Colporteurs  and  exhorters,  and  even  revivalists,  were  plentiful 
in  the  camps  in  the  winter  of  1861  and  1862  ;  and  the  humorous 
traditions  of  that  period  have  among  their  leaves  ;an  account  of  a 
jealous  or  zealous  colonel,  whose  emulation  being  excited  by  a 
revivalist's  representation  that  seven  men  in  a  neighboring  regi 
ment  had  been  baptized,  cried  to  a  sergeant  to  detail  fifteen  men 
to  be  baptized,  adding  that  he  did  not  propose  to  be  outdone  by 
Colonel of  the th. 

Sutlers  were  also  numerous,  even  as  crows  and  buzzards. 
Occasionally  one's  team,  loaded  with  goods,  would  by  mistake 
drive  into  our  company  street,  and  our  commander  would  hasten 
it  to  the  right  about ;  the  sutler  would  palaver,  hinting  at  favors  ; 
the  captain  would  silence  him,  saying,  "We  live  upon  rations 
here,  not  favors !" 

Christmas  was  enjoyed  here  with  something  like  old-time  fes 
tivity,  and  a  bill  of  fare  quite  in  the  appropriate  line  of  holiday 
feasts  was  arranged  and  discussed. 

One  week  later  the  army  and  the  nation  were  thrilled  by  the 
advent  of  the  "Emancipation  Proclamation."  Every  contraband 
who  might  be  waiting  upon  an  officer's  mess,  or  cleaning  an 
officer's  horse,  every  colored  servant,  every  African  mule-driver, 
on  the  morning  of  the  ist  of  January,  1863,  became  at  once  as 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  IOI 

completely  a  new  object  of  interest  to  the  average  soldier,  as  if 
the  black  man  had  just  dropped  from  the  clouds  before  his  startled 
eyes.  The  various  comments  of  the  press  of  that  day  upon  this 
measure,  may  be  taken  as  representative  indications  of  the 
various  shades  of  sentiment  with  which  the  immortal  proclama 
tion  was  received.  There  were  men  in  every  company  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  who  perfectly  comprehended  the  relation 
which  slavery  sustained  to  secession,  and  who  had  foreseen  the 
necessity  of  an  emancipation  measure  when  the  first  gun  was 
fired.  There  were  others  who  looked  upon  the  measure,  this  day, 
as  a  dangerous  expedient. 

Long  before  we  had  entered  upon  the  new  year,  Capt.  Porter 
had  resigned,  and  it  was  inexplicable  why  the  governor  of  our 
state  had  not  forwarded  to  the  efficient  commander  of  our  battery 
his  captain's  commission.  How  well  he  had  led  his  company 
hither,  on  the  toilsome  marches  from  Antietam,  how  ably  he  had 
handled  his  company  on  the  I3th  of  December,  was  sufficiently 
evidenced  by  the  indorsement  of  his  corps,  division,  and  brigade 
commanders.  But  when  at  last  there  was  a  tardy  recognition  of 
his  merits  and  his  rights,  another  vexatious  mistake  must  needs 
occur  to  disturb  the  equilibrium  of  our  company  existence.  By 
the  promotion  of  Capt.  McCartney,  of  course  his  lieutenants 
would  be  severally  moved  forward  one  step,  thus  leaving  a  vacant 
junior  second  lieutenancy.  Our  orderly  sergeant,  a  thorough 
soldier,  with  qualifications  for  command,  should  have  been  imme 
diately  elevated  to  the  lieutenancy,  but  curiously  enough  our 
governor  commissioned  a  comparatively  recent  recruit.  We 
believe  this  official  act  was  resented  by  the  whole  command ;  not 
that  there  was,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  any  prejudice  against  the 
recipient  of  the  governor's  favor ;  he  certainly  was  an  exemplary 
young  man  ;  the  resentment  was  an  instinctive  protest  against 
an  act  of  injustice  to  the  soldier  who  stood  first  in  the  line  of 
promotion. 

New  Year  passed,  and  three  weeks  of  varied  winter  weather 
followed,  time  replete  with  incidents  of  camp  life,  as  checkered 
as  is  usually  the  stream  of  events  in  a  large  community ;  when, 
on  Wednesday,  the  23d  of  January,  the  left  grand  division  was 
once  more  in  motion.  This  time  the  columns  moved  to  the  west. 
The  air  had  been  so  cold  during  the  previous  week,  and  the 


IO2  THE     STORY    OF    THE 

frosts  so  keen,  that  the  roads  seemed  as  firm  as  adamant,  and  the 
teams  were  moved  with  celerity.  When  we  reached  that  portion 
of  our  line  in  the  rear  of  Falmouth,  a  part  of  the  centre  grand 
division  not  yet  in  motion,  we  found  that  the  troops  that  were 
encamped  in  and  around  Falmouth,  and  in  fact  none  of  those 
whose  camps  were  in  view  of  the  Confederates,  had  changed  their 
position. 

This  expedition  was  evidently  to  be  a  surprise.  It  was  declared 
that  though  there  was  a  show  of  force  upon  the  heights  behind 
Fredericksburg,  and  apparently  the  same  condition  of  things  as 
had  obtained  for  weeks  was  unchanged,  yet  Lee  had  despatched 
a  large  force  down  to  Port  Royal,  eighteen  miles  below  Franklin's 
Crossing,  apprehending  a  Federal  attack  in  that  quarter,  a  feint 
having  been  made  at  that  point.  He  was  not  "deceived  by  the 
apparent  inactivity  of  the  Federals  around  Falmouth.  Here  now 
was  the  bulk  of  Burnside's  army  making  for  Banks's  or  Kelly's 
Fords  above  Fredericksburg. 

It  was  a  splendid  day,  and  mounted  and  foot  made  good  time 
over  the  firm  roads.  Auspices  were  favorable,  and  rank  and  file 
were  hopeful  of  a  successful  result.  The  left  grand  division  at 
night  was  in  a  position  back  from  the  ford,  and  as  near  as  it  was 
practicable  to  have  so  large  a  force  and  permit  the  speedy  and 
safe  crossing  of  the  river.  The  corps  were  brought  together  as 
compactly  as  was  possible  and  yet  allow  the  unobstructed  march 
of  the  brigades. 

Scarcely  had  night  arrived  when  a  storm  arose,  a  storm  in 
earnest.  It  was  as  though  the  heavens  first  frowned  upon  our 
enterprise,  and  then  poured  wrath  upon  it.  The  rain  fell  in  tor 
rents,  dissolving  the  firm  crust  which  had  borne  us  up  faithfully 
all  day.  The  winds  rocked  the  trees  spitefully.  Wheels  settled 
down  into  the  oozing  mud  hours  before  an  attempt  was  made  to 
move  a  carriage.  Morning  dawned  upon  a  dank,  wet  body  of  men 
in  a  cheerless  wilderness  of  trees  and  mud ;  but  with  the  light  there 
was  bustle  and  activity.  The  infantry  were  soon  in  column,  and 
moved  over  the  way  with  comparative  ease.  At  the  same  time,  by 
the  most  strenuous  efforts  of  men  and  horses,  the  pieces  and  cais 
sons,  whose  wheels  were  imbedded  by  their  own  weight  in  the  camp, 
were  moved  to  the  road  to  take  their  places  in  column.  Now  was 
a  desperate  attempt  to  advance,  down  sank  the  wheels,  down  fell 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  IO3 

the  horses  ;  the  poor  brutes  would  look  over  their  shoulders,  won 
dering  what  kind  of  burden  they  had  to-day,  would  make  a  frantic 
effort  to  start  the  carriage,  then  subside  into  their  tracks  and 
stand  motionless.  Now  a  dozen,  now  fifteen  pairs  would  be 
attached  to  a  caisson  to  move  it  over  a  particularly  bad  place,  the 
succeeding  carriage  waiting  until  the  way  was  clear ;  then  the 
extra  horses  being  taken  off,  the  former  team  moving  on,  the  same 
tactics  would  be  tried  with  the  succeeding  piece  or  caisson  ;  but 
the  ruts  had  been  cut  deeper  and  the  mud  had  oozed  in,  and  the 
augmented  team,  in  spite  of  whip  and  imprecation,  fails  to  move 
the  burden  one  jot.  The  horses  seem  to  reason  among  them 
selves,  and  to  conclude  that  it  is  impossible  to  move  the  carriage 
up  the  hill  this  day. 

It  needs  a  train  of  stubborn  mules  to  force  through  the  mire 
the  heavy  caisson  ;  so  the  mules  are  attached,  they  are  spurred  on 
at  the  outset,  taken  quite  by  surprise  before  they  have  time  to 
contemplate  the  situation,  and  they  hurry  along  the  carriage 
through  the  mud,  up  the  hill  and  on  for  a  way,  when  they  are 
relieved  and  the  horses  are  reattached.  In  the  meanwhile  sec 
tions  of  artillery  become  separated  on  the  road  by  long  intervals. 
The  teams  of  a  company  are  scattered,  a  wagon  will  be  struggling 
here,  and  half  a  mile  away  one  belonging  to  the  same  command 
will  be  in  the  same  predicament.  Pontoon  wagons  were  held  fast, 
and  at  last  only  moved  by  half  a  hundred  men  pulling  them  out 
with  the  prolong-rope.  The  sole  consolation  in  this  wretched  con 
dition  of  things  was  the  reflection  that  the  Confederates,  if  they  had 
discovered  our  plans,  were  equally  unable  to  move  through  the  all- 
hindering  mud.  After  a  day  of  such  experience,  horses  detached 
from  the  artillery  were  ridden  back  to  the  quartermaster's  wagons, 
and  each  driver,  taking  a  bag  of  grain,  conveyed  it  to  his  company, 
where  it  was  distributed  from  point  to  point.  On  the  following 
day,  by  slow  and  painful  effort,  the  scattered  detachments  were 
gathered  in  column,  and  the  procession  moved  back  to  the  winter 
quarters  of  the  various  commands. 

Three  months  of  genuine  winter,  with  storm  and  sleet,  precluded 
further  field  operations  during  the  season.  Gen.  Burnside  was  at 
his  own  request  relieved  of  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac  on  the  26th  of  January,  six  days  after  we  entered  upon  the 
"  mud  march."  Gen.  Hooker  assumed  command.  During  the 


IO4  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

dark  period  of  depression  that  followed  the  battle  of  the  I3th  of 
December,  desertions  as  well  as  disease  and  death  were  too 
common  incidents.  How  much  the  numerical  force  of  this  army 
was  decreased  through  this  one  agency  will  probably  never  be 
known,  but  the  consequent  demoralization  was  so  palpable  to  the 
new  commander  that  he  applied  himself  with  characteristic  energy 
to  its  repair.  Not  only  were  the  proper  means  employed  to 
gather  back  to  their  commands  those  absent,  but  also  rational 
methods  of  inspiring  those  present  with  patriotism  and  zeal,  and 
with  confidence  in  the  commanding  general  ;  for  example,  a  judi 
cious  system  of  furloughs  was  instituted. 

As  success  crowned  the  efforts  of  Gen.  Hooker  in  reorganizing 
by  spring  an  effective  army,  whose  self-confidence  was  restored, 
and  whose  strength  was  greater  than  on  the  ill-fated  day  in 
December  when  it  crossed  the  Rappahannock,  it  ought  to  be 
recorded  on  every  page  that  illustrates  the  splendid  military 
achievements  of  Hooker,  that  he  was  the  commander  who  knew 
how  to  inspire  confidence  in  himself  by  considerately  reposing 
confidence  in  others. 

Few,  indeed,  were  the  desertions  among  those  who  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  a  brief  home  visit  during  February  and  March,  1863. 
To  our  company  it  is  a  matter  of  honorable  pride  and  everlasting 
satisfaction,  that  during  those  melancholy  days  no  name  upon  our 
roster  was  sullied.  On  the  27th  of  April,  our  army  had  12,000 
cavalry,  now  for  the  first  time  organized  in  a  corps  under  a  com 
mander  of  special  distinction  in  this  arm  of  the  service.  There 
were  120,000  infantry  and  artillery.  On  this  day,  to  our  company, 
as  a  representative  of  the  last  named  arm,  were  read  the  general 
orders,  which  involved  specific  directions  as  to  individual  prepara 
tion  for  the  campaign  that  was  to  open  on  the  morrow. 

We  were  to  turn  in  our  dress  uniforms,  all  extra  blankets  and 
clothing,  reserving  only  a  change  of  shirts  and  stockings.  We 
were  to  use  knapsack  or  valise  thus  relieved  to  carry  five  days' 
rations  of  bread,  (as  many  days'  rations  of  meat  were  to  follow  us 
in  shape  of  beef  creatures,)  and  we  were  to  take  three  days'  supply 
of  bread  and  meat  in  our  haversacks. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY. 

ROSTER. 


SIXTH    ARMY    CORPS. 

December  13,  1862. 


Right  of  the  Left  Grand  Division. —  MAJ.  GEN.  W.  B.  FRANKLIN,  Comm'd'g. 
Sixth  Corps. —  MAJ.  GEN.  W.  F.  SMITH,  Commanding. 

FIRST   DIVISION. 

BRIG.  GEN.  W.  T.  H.  BROOKS,  Commanding. 
First  Brigade. —  COL.  A.  T.  A.  TORBERT,  Commanding,  1st,  2d,  3d,  4th,  I5th, 

and  23d  New  Jersey  Volunteers. 
Second  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  J.  J.  BARTLETT,  Commanding,  27th,  i6th,  I2ist 

New  York,  5th  Maine,  and  p6th  Pennsylvania. 
Third  Brigade. —  COL.  G.  W.  TOWNE,  Commanding,  i8th,  3ist,  and  32d  New 

York,  and  95th  Pennsylvania. 

ARTILLERY. 

Willistorfs  D,  id  United  States;  McCartney 's  A,  1st  Massachusetts ;  Hexa- 
mer's  A,  \st  New  Jersey ;  Walcott's  A,  \st  Maryland. 

SECOND   DIVISION. 

BRIG.  GEN.  A.  P.  HOWE,  Commanding. 

First  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  C.  E.  PRATT,  Commanding,  5th  Wisconsin,  49th 
Pennsylvania,  6th  Maine,  43d  New  York,  H9th  Penn 
sylvania. 

Second  Brigade. —  COL.  HENRY  WHITING,  Commanding,  2d,  3d,  4th,  5th,  and 
6th  Vermont,  and  26th  New  Jersey. 

Third  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  FRANCIS  L.  VINTON,  Commanding,  2oth,  33d, 
49th,  and  77th  New  York,  and  2ist  New  Jersey  Volunteers. 

ARTILLERY. 

Ay  res'*  s  F,  $th  United  States ;  Snow's  B,  ist  Maryland;   Cowan's  \st  New  York 
Battery;   Stewart's  ^d  New  York. 

THIRD  DIVISION. 

BRIG.  GEN.  JOHN    NEWTON,  Commanding. 

First  Brigade. — BRIG.  GEN.  JOHN  COCHRANE,  Commanding,  23d,  6ist,  and 
82d  Pennsylvania,  65th,  67th,  and  I22d  New  York  Volun 
teers. 

Second  Brigade. — BRIG.  GEN.  CHAS.  DEVENS,  Commanding,  yth,  loth,  and 
37th  Massachusetts,  2d  Rhode  Island,  and  36th  New 
York  Volunteers. 

Third  Brigade. — COL.  T.  A.  ROWLEY,  Commanding,  62d  New  York,  93d, 
98th,  io2d,  and  I39th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

ARTILLERY. 
Butler's  G,  2.d  United  States;    McCarthy's  C,  I st  Pennsylvania. 


IO6  THE    STORY    OF    THE 


CHAPTER    IX. 


THUS  light-weighted,  on  the  28th  of  April,  1863,  the  Sixth 
Corps,  now  commanded  by  Gen.  Sedgwick,  was  once  more 
in  column,  moving  toward  the  river,  creeping  through  woods, 
through  ravines,  behind  ridges,  to  conceal  the  march  from  the  Con 
federates.  The  progress  was  not  rapid.  Evidently,  it  was  not 
designed  to  bring  the  corps  in  sight  of  the  enemy  this  afternoon, 
for  at  night  the  corps  had  been  moved  forward  a  couple  of  miles 
by  a  circuitous  route,  and  lay  in  quite  compact  order,  hidden  from 
the  observation  of  those  on  the  south  bank.  It  appears  that  the 
First  and  Third  Corps  were  in  motion  on  the  left  of  the  army,  at 
this  time,  with  us  ;  Hooker  had  discarded  the  grand  division 
organization.  On  the  29th,  a  division  of  the  Sixth  Corps  was 
was  thrown  over  the  river,  nearly  at  the  point  of  crossing  in  De 
cember,  and  a  division  of  the  First,  two  miles  lower  down.  Little 
opposition  was  made  at  Franklin's  Crossing,  there  being  a  heavy 
fog,  but  down  the  river  the  sharpshooters  in  the  rifle-pits  were 
very  troublesome,  and  it  was  necessary  to  bring  several  batteries 
to  bear  upon  them  before  the  pontoons  could  be  placed.  The 
remaining  divisions  of  the  First  and  Sixth  Corps,  and  all  of  the 
Third  Corps,  remained  upon  the  north  side. 

The  Confederate  lines  extended  twenty  miles  below  Fredericks- 
burg.  Our  movement  had  the  effect  of  hurrying  their  troops 
from  Port  Royal  and  the  vicinity.  As  the  other  Federal  corps  had 
moved  up  the  river,  northwest  of  the  town,  it  was  at  this  mo 
ment  doubtful  to  Gen.  Lee  where  the  attack  was  to  be  made.  He 
seems,  however,  to  have  deemed  it  necessary  on  the  3Oth  to  bring 
the  major  portion  of  his  army  to  bear  against  the  force  which  he 
learned  was  crossing  the  Rappahannock  and  Rapidan,  at  different 
points  above  Fredericksburg  ;  one  result  of  this  determination  of 


GEN.    JNO.    SEDGWICK. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  IO/ 

the  Confederate  commander  was  that  only  the  corps  of  Early  was 
left  in  defence  of  the  heights  of  Fredericksburg.  Now  the  Third 
Corps,  Gen.  Sickles,  is  silently  withdrawn  from  our  vicinity, 
whither  it  had  accompanied  us,  and  marches  up  the  river  to  join 
Hooker. 

On  Saturday,  May  2,  while  those  divisions  of  the  First  and  Sixth 
Corps  which  had  crossed  were  lying  upon  the  plain  on  the  south 
side,  the  remaining  divisions,  by  a  series  of  marches  and  counter 
marches  along  the  crests  of  the  hills  upon  the  north  side,  magni 
fied  their  numbers  to  the  enemy  ;  and  in  the  meanwhile  the  bulk  of 
the  First  Corps  departed  from  this  vicinity,  to  join  the  force  that 
confronted  Lee.  Through  the  afternoon  of  this  day  there  was 
little  change  in  our  situation.  We  were  lying  in  wait.  Gen. 
Sedgwick  was  alone  in  command.  In  the  meanwhile  the  bulk  of 
the  Federal  army,  consisting  of  the  Eleventh  Corps,  Gen.  Howard ; 
a  division  of  the  Third,  Sickles,  which  had  arrived  from  our 
vicinity ;  the  Twelfth,  Gen.  Slocum,  comprising  the  right ;  and  the 
Second,  Gen.  Couch,  with  the  Fifth,  Gen.  Meade,  on  the  left,  had 
been  engaged  with  the  enemy,  with  varying  fortune,  at  Chancel- 
lorsville,  west  of  Fredericksburg,  at  the  junction  of  the  Gordons- 
ville  pike  and  the  Orange,  C.  H.,  plank  road. 

The  Eleventh  Corps  had  been  routed  by  a  determined  attack  of 
Jackson's  force,  but  his  advance  had  been  checked  by  parts  °f||he 
Second  and  Third  Corps,  the  artillery  under  Capt.  Best,  mid 
500  cavalry  and  horse  artillery  under  Gen.  Pleasanton.  Stone 
wall  Jackson  had  fallen  in  this  latter  engagement. 

During  the  day,  Lee  had  kept  up  a  vigorous  attack  in  front  of 
Hooker,  but  was  invariably  unsuccessful  in  forcing  the  advanced 
line  of  Federal  rifle-pits.  During  the  night,  Hooker  contracted 
and  reformed  his  lines.  The  First  Corps  arrived  from  below 
Fredericksburg,  and  was  placed  upon  the  right,  where  the 
Eleventh  had  been,  previous  to  its  discomfiture. 

It  was  now,  at  midnight  on  the  2d  of  May,  that  Gen.  Sedgwick 
received  orders  to  cross  the  Rappahannock,  carry  the  heights 
behind  the  town,  and  advance  on  Chancellorsville  until  he  should 
come  up  with  the  rear  of  Lee's  army.  All  of  the  available  force 
of  the  Sixth  Corps  was  on  the  south  side  before  dawn  ;  then  Gen. 
Gibbon  with  a  division  8,000  strong  joins  us,  he  having  crossed  this 
morning.  Gen.  Sedgwick  must  now  have  had  under  his  command, 


IO8  THE    STORY     OF    THE 

30,000  men.  It  was  proposed  to  carry  Marye's  Hill,  yonder 
before  Early's  corps,  which  held  it,  could  receive  aid  from  Lee 
at  Chancellorsville. 

The  land  immediately  behind  the  town  forms  a  smooth,  elevated 
plain,  extending  back  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  then  rises  to  a  ridge 
which  ranges  east  and  west,  abutting  at  the  east  upon  a  ravine  ; 
this  is  Marye's  Hill,  upon  which  guns  were  planted  in  every 
position  to  rake  the  plain  at  its  foot. 

At  the  foot  of  this  ridge  is  the  telegraph  road,  twenty-five  feet 
wide,  which  in  many  places  is  cut  in  the  side  of  the  hill  and  is  not 
visible  above  the  surface  of  the  ground.  The  road  is  flanked  by 
the  famous  stone-wall,  four  feet  high  on  the  side  towards  the  town, 
against  which,  in  December,  the  heroic  divisions  of  French  and 
Hancock  were  hurled  to  certain  destruction.  This  position  was 
of  such  strength  that,  it  is  said,  in  December  only  1,700  men 
were  found  necessary  to  occupy  it,  against  an  attacking  force 
approaching  the  town.  South  of  and  behind  Marye's  Hill  is 
another  table-land,  which  emerges  on  its  southern  side  into 
another  range  of  hills,  then  bristling  with  cannon,  as  was  the  ridge 
below. 

In  the  absence  of  any  considerable  Confederate  force  upon  the 
east  of  this  position,  and  with  a  heavy  fire  upon  Marye's  Hill  from 
tho  Union  heavy  batteries  on  the  superior  heights  upon  the  north 
sim  of  the  river,  the  storming  of  the  position  was  practicable,  and 
its  capture  by  a  determined  assault  upon  its  right  flank,  thus 
avoiding  the  direct  and  enfilade  fire  from  its  immediate  front,  was 
possible. 

The  Sixth  Corps,  and  its  gallant  associate  command,  Gibbon's 
division,  before  noon  had  carried  both  Marye's  and  Cemetery 
ridges  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and,  with  the  prisoners  they 
had  captured,  were  pressing  on. 

The  line  of  battle  of  the  Sixth  Corps  extended  from  the  pontoon 
bridge  at  Franklin's  Crossing,  to  the  right  of  the  town  of  Fredericks- 
burg.  Our  First  Division,  Gen.  Brooks,  consisting  of  Torbert's 
New  Jersey  brigade,  Bartlett's  brigade,  the  Twenty-seventh, 
Sixteenth,  and  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-first  New  York,  Fifth 
Maine,  and  Ninety-sixth  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Third  Brigade,  em 
bracing  the  Eighteenth,  Thirty-first  and  Thirty-second  New  York 
and  Ninety-fifth  Pennsylvania,  with  the  batteries  of  Williston, 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  1 09 

McCartney,  Hexamer,  and  Walcott,  held  the  plain  in  front  of  the 
crossing.  Howe's  Second  Division  was  on  our  right  in  front  of 
Marye's  Hill.  On  the  right  of  Howe  was  the  light  division, 
consisting  of  the  Fifth  Wisconsin,  Sixth  Maine,  Thirty-first  and 
Forty-third  New  York,  and  Sixty-First  Pennsylvania,  commanded 
by  Col.  Burnham,  and  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  corps  was 
Gen.  Newton's  Third  Division.  Finally  Gibbon's  division  of  the 
First  Corps  crossed  from  Falmouth  and  established  itself  on  the 
right  of  Newton. 

The  force  occupying  the  heights  was  said  to  be  as  strong  as  that 
which  repulsed  the  divisions  of  French,  Hancock,  and  Humphreys 
in  December.  And  it  is  said  that  General  Barksdale,  commanding 
it,  was  confident  that  he  could  repulse  any  attack  which  our  corps 
commander  could  make.  The  direct  assault  in  front,  which  began 
after  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  turn  the  Confederate  left,  was 
commenced  at  ten  o'clock,  A.  M.,  by  the  Seventh  Massachusetts, 
and  two  regiments  of  Eustis's  brigade.  On  the  right  and  left  of  this 
force  were  respectively  Shaler's  and  Spear's  brigades,  and  the 
light  division.  The  latter  was  to  capture  the  "  stone-wall  at  the 
base  of  the  hill."  The  forward  movement  of  all  these  was  made 
simultaneously  under  a  terrible  fire  from  the  Confederates. 
Spear's  brigade  was  nearly  extinguished  ;  its  brave  leader  was 
killed.  The  Seventh  Massachusetts,  advancing  through  a  rocky 
ravine,  swept  by  the  enemy's  artillery,  twice  wavered,  each  time 
rallied  and  pushed  on  over  the  Confederate  works,  reaching  the 
crest  of  the  hill  at  the  same  moment  as  the  light  division,  which 
on  the  left  of  the  road  had  swept  through  a  storm  of  shot  and 
shell,  over  the  stone-wall.  Now.  there  is  a  conflict  for  the  guns 
upon  the  crest.  The  enemy  is  completely  overpowered.  The  Sixth 
Maine,  of  the  light  division,  having  lost  six  captains  and  its  major 
and  a  proportionate  number  of  brave  privates,  was  the  first  to 
plant  its  colors  upon  the  Confederate  works. 

Early,  in  retreating,  moved  south,  leaving  open  to  the  Federals 
the  plank  road  to  Chancellorsville.  Along  this  road  our  division, 
in  advance,  made  an  unimpeded  march  of  four  miles  to  Salem 
Church,  where  shells  from  Confederate  guns  gave  us  notice  of 
their  presence.  Bartlett's  brigade  was  formed  in  line  of  battle, 
with  the  Sixteenth  New  York  holding  the  skirmish  line  in  front, 
the  Twenty-seventh  New  York  on  the  right,  the  Ninety-sixth 


IIO  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

Pennsylvania  on  the  left,  the  Fifth  Maine  and  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-first  New  York  in  the  centre. 

Before  this  line  was  a  dense  growth  of  second  growth  wood  ; 
Gen.  Brooks  ordered  the  brigade  commander  to  push  on  rapidly 
through  the  thicket.  Advancing  perhaps  500  feet,  the  brigade 
came  upon  the  Confederate  line,  the  men  lying  down  in  a  bridle 
road.  They  suddenly  fired  a  volley  into  the  ranks  of  the  Union 
brigade,  which  the  latter  returned  with  interest,  driving  the  Con 
federates  back  to  their  rifle-pits  in  the  rear  of  the  road.  The 
road  was  now  filled  with  the  dead.  The  Confederates  kept  up  a 
galling  fire  from  the  rifle-pits  for  twenty  minutes,  during  which 
time  our  loss  must  have  been  quite  600  men ;  the  whole  division 
was  now  in  action,  and  Gen.  Newton's  Third  Division  was  hotly 
engaged  upon  the  right.  Our  First  Division  slowly  retiring,  the 
Confederates  made  a  dash  from  the  rifle-pits  with  great  vim  upon 
it.  Now  the  artillery  Companies  D,  Second  United  States,  Lieut. 
Williston,  First  Massachusetts,  Capt.  W.  H.  McCartney,  and 
First  New  Jersey,  Capt.  Hexamer,  by  excellent  service  and  fine 
practice  repulsed  the  momentarily  successful  Confederate  lines, 
and  saved  the  division.  The  engagement  of  our  division  with 
the  force  of  Wilcox  and  McLaws  commenced  at  four  o'clock,  p.  M. 
and  shortly  after  the  Third  Division  of  the  Sixth  Corps  came  to 
our  support,  the  Confederates  were  pushed  back  and  the  church 
and  schoolhouse  were  in  the  possession  of  the  Federals.  Contin 
ued  reinforcement  of  the  Confederate  force,  enabling  them  to  rally, 
resulted  in  staying  the  progress  of  our  divisions,  and,  but  for  the 
splendid  practice  of  the  Sixth  Corps  Artillery,  the  end  would 
perhaps  have  been  the  destruction  of  the  Federal  infantry. 

It  was  now  quite  dark,  and  both  weary  combatants  rested  upon 
the  field.  After  a  night  of  anxiety  and  suspense,  on  the  part  of 
the  rank  and  file,  of  uncertainty  in  regard  to  the  result  of  the  en 
gagement  at  Chancellorsville,  came  Monday  morning,  May  4. 
Our  lines  were  again  reformed,  and  such  disposition  of  the  corps 
was  made  as  would  enable  it,  if  possible,  to  withstand  the  attack  of 
an  overwhelming  force,  for  it  was  the  superior  portion  of  Lee's 
army  which  had  now  turned  to  assail  the  Sixth  Corps.  Early  had 
in  the  meantime  returned  to  Fredericksburg  and  retaken  posses 
sion  of  the  heights,  and  our  devoted  corps  was  hemmed  in  on 
three  sides  by  the  enemy. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  Ill 

To  have  withdrawn  last  night  would  have  been  disobedience 
of  orders  by  our  corps  commander,  since  he  had  been  directed  by 
the  commanding  general  to  proceed  to  Chancellorsville.  He  had 
proceeded  thus  far  on  Sunday  afternoon ;  the  way  thence  was 
blocked  by  an  augmented  force  of  the  enemy  in  a  stronghold  that 
commanded  the  route.  The  light  of  that  day  did  not  last  long 
enough  to  permit  the  dislodgement  of  the  foe,  despite  the  skill  of 
Sedgwick,  and  the  spirited,  persistent  attack  of  his  divisions. 

He  had  no  alternative  as  a  soldier,  other  than  to  wait  the  morrow 
and  resume  his  task.  The  corps  was  formed  in  the  three  sides  of 
a  square  enclosing  Banks'  Ford.  The  Second  Division  faced  east 
toward  Fredericksburg,  against  Early,  with  its  left  on  the  Rappahan- 
nock ;  the  Third  Division,  with  one  brigade  of  the  First  Division, 
faced  west  against  McLaws,  with  its  right  upon  the  river ;  the 
remaining  brigades  of  the  First  Division,  Bartlett's  and  Torbert's, 
faced  south,  confronting  Anderson,  touching  the  other  sides  of  the 
square. 

The  first  movement  on  this  Monday  morn,  May  4,  was  a  Con 
federate  attack  upon  Neill's  brigade  of  the  Second  Division,  on 
the  left  of  our  line.  Here  detachments  of  the  Seventh  Maine 
and  the  Forty-ninth  New  York,  with  Battery  F,  Fifth  United 
States,  Lieut.  Martin,  repulsed  a  whole  brigade,  captured  two 
hundred  prisoners,  and  the  men  of  the  first  named  regiment  bore 
off  the  colors  of  the  Fifty-eighth  Virginia  Infantry. 

Thereafter  through  the  day,  however,  until  five  o'clock,  the 
situation  was  unchanged.  Then  began  perhaps  the  most  fearful 
struggle  of  this  campaign,  which  lasted  for  three  hours. 

No  time  was  spent  by  the  Confederate  commander  in  feeling 
the  strength  of  the  Federal  force  which  yesterday  had  scaled  the 
heights  and  driven  before  it  their  defenders.  It  is  said  that  Gen. 
Lee  personally  marshalled  the  brigades.  The  initial  movement  of 
his  troops  was  a  furious  onslaught  upon  our  lines.  This  was 
repelled  with  equal  vigor ;  another  attack  was  made,  and  the 
advancing  Confederate  lines  received  a  volley  from  our  artillery 
that  perceptibly  thinned  their  ranks  and  stayed  their  progress. 

Now  a  charge  was  made  upon  the  batteries  on  our  right,  and 
they  answer  with  canister,  and  the  supporting  regiments  repel  the 
assailants  with  the  bayonet.  Four  times  their  lines  were  broken 
and  driven  back.  Our  company  guns  were  twelve-pound  Napo- 


112  THE     STORY    OF    THE 

leons,  smooth-bores,  effective  at  1,500  yds.  We  had  exchanged 
for  these  at  Harrison's  Landing  four  Parrott  rifles  and  two 
brass  howitzers.  We  had  employed  these  twelve-pounders  at 
South  Mountain  and  Antietam,  but  probably  at  no  previous  time 
had  they  been  more  serviceable  than  now,  in  aiding  to  check  the 
advance  of  the  determined  masses  that  sought  first  by  dogged 
onsets  to  break  and  scatter  our  ranks  on  the  right,  and  later,  to 
turn  that  flank  with  the  hope  of  capturing  a  considerable  number. 

The  vastly  numerically  superior  force  opposed  to  General  Sedg- 
wick  rendered  it  a  triumph  of  generalship  that  he  should  hold  his 
ground  for  a  considerable  time,  and  then,  when  prudence  required 
the  gradual  retirement  of  his  troops,  so  admirably  were  they 
handled  that  what  the  enemy  at  first  fancied  a  retreat,  he  having 
massed  a  large  part  of  his  force  to  turn  our  left,  was  a  prolonged 
resistance  with  bold  front  and  resolute  defence. 

The  general  seemed  intuitively  to  perceive  the  mental  condition 
of  his  troops,  as  to  their  confidence  or  lack  of  confidence  in  their 
ability  to  do,  and  he  had,  moreover,  the  gift  of  inspiring  confidence 
when  untoward  circumstances  might  beget  a  temporary  faltering 
in  the  disposition  of  some  corps.  One  day,  while  engaged  in 
exercising  this  faculty,  which  he  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree, 
he  lost  his  life,  his  prominent  figure  having  been  exposed  to  the 
enemy's  sharpshooters. 

Seven  or  eight  miles  above  Fredericksburg  is  a  crossing  called 
Banks'  Ford ;  as  night  approached,  the  movements  of  the  corps, 
which  the  nature  of  things  necessitated,  had  been  in  the  direction 
of  this  crossing.  Reaching  the  vicinity  of  the  ford,  in  line,  the 
corps  intrenched  itself  in  a  position  to  cover  the  crossing  in  its 
rear.  It  seemed  at  first  that  it  might  be  the  general's  intention  to 
hold  this  position,  but  the  disastrous  fire  of  Confederate  batteries 
near  the  Decker  House,  which  were  so  posted  upon  higher 
ground  .at  a  bend  of  the  river,  as  to  be  able  to  rake  the  rear  of  our 
force,  plainly  showed  the  situation  to  be  indefensible,  and  it  was 
with  extreme  difficulty  that  the  corps  was  able  to  cross  after  mid 
night,  one  bridge  having  been  destroyed  by  the  Confederate 
artillery. 

The  loss  of  the  Sixth  Corps  in  this  campaign  reached  5,000 
men.  Our  company  mourned  little  Benny  Daniels,  a  brave, 
smooth-faced,  black-eyed  lad,  whom  a  casual  observer  would  have 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  113 

deemed  to  be  of  too  tender  years  to  endure  the  hardships  of  mili 
tary  life ;  but  he  had  a  man's  courage  and  fortitude.  He  fell, 
nobly  doing  his  duty,  on  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  May. 

The  Sixth  Corps,  on  its  return,  held  relatively  the  same  position 
on  the  left  of  the  army  that  it  occupied  previous  to  the  28th  of 
April. 

****** 

May  sped,  without  developing  upon  the  surface  of  our  existence 
anything  of  national  importance.  On  the  4th  of  June,  there  were 
rumors  of  a  flank  movement  below  Fredericksburg.  Whatever 
might  have  been  the  design  of  the  com mander-in-chief,  certainly 
on  the  following  day  the  Sixth  Corps  infantry  and  artillery,  with 
pontoon  train,  was  in  the  Rappahannock  Valley  below  the  mouth  of 
Deep  Run.  The  Confederates,  having  a  picket  line  along  the 
bank,  were  in  force  in  the  rifle-pits  which  our  First  Division  had 
made  at  a  former  time ;  and  they  opened  a  lively  fire  when  the 
engineers  prepared  to  launch  the  pontoons.  Now  all  of  our  artil 
lery,  Williston's,  McCartney's,  McCarthy's,  Cowan's,  and  Harn's, 
opened  upon  the  works  from  the  plain  upon  the  north  side,  firing 
by  battery ;  the  assault  was  terrific,  the  plain  beyond  the  river 
being  completely  obscured  by  the  smoke  of  bursting  shells,  and 
the  clouds  of  dust ;  the  men  in  the  pits  were  unable  to  readily  lift 
their  heads  to  sight  the  Federal  engineers  and  infantry.  Two 
regiments  were  thrown  across  in  boats  ;  the  artillery  cease  firing  as 
the  infantry  reach  the  opposite  bank ;  the  latter  charge  the  pits 
and  drive  the  occupants  over  the  plain, — pursue  them  and  capture 
prisoners.  The  bridge  being  laid,  each  of  our  divisions  in  turn 
crossed,  one  relieving  another,  so  that  during  the  five  succeeding 
days,  each  command  spent  a  day  or  more  on  the  south  side.  There 
was  an  occasional  exchange  of  papers  between  the  Sixth  Corps 
pickets  and  those  of  the  enemy,  but  no  further  exchange  of 
hostilities. 

The  first  symptom  of  Lee's  great  northward  movement,  so 
ably  did  he  manoeuvre,  was  not  perceived  by  the  Federals  until 
the  Qth  of  June  ;  when  Pleasanton's  cavalry  struck  the  enemy's  col 
umns  at  Brandy  Station,  on  the  line  of  the  Alexandria  and 
Orange  Railroad,  east  of  Culpepper,  C.  H.,  this  revealed  in  a  de 
gree  the  purpose  of  the  Confederate  general,  but  too  late  for  pre 
ventive  opposition  ;  he  had  in  effect,  as  De  Peyster  has  said,  gained 


114  THE    STORY    OF    THE 

a  week's  march.  The  Federal  commander  was  now  compelled  to 
hasten  his  army  by  shorter  lines  than  those  pursued  by  his  adver 
sary  to  positions  between  the  Confederate  host,  and  Washington 
and  Baltimore  ;  what  conflict — and  with  what  fruits — would  even 
tually  result  from  the  ultimate  meeting  of  these  armies,  so  evenly 
matched  in  many  respects,  God  only  knew. 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  115 


CHAPTER   X. 


f"  I  ^HE  great  highway  from  Falmouth  to  Alexandria  leads 
J_  through  Stafford,  C.  H.,  across  Aquia  Creek  to  the  ford  at 
Wolf  Run  Shoal  on  the  Occoquan.  North  of  the  Occoquan,  a 
road  leads  northwesterly  from  the  highway,  to  the  Fairfax  Station 
on  the  Alexandria  and  Orange  Railroad,  eighteen  or  twenty  miles 
west  of  Alexandria.  This  was  part  of  the  route  traversed  in 
June,  1863,  by  the  Sixth  Corps,  in  its  transfer  from  the  vicinity  of 
the  Rappahannock  to  the  subsequent  theatre  of  military  opera 
tions  in  Pennsylvania. 

Our  company  supped  and  slept,  on  the  night  of  the  I4th  of  June, 
on  the  north  bank  of  Agwam  Creek,  south  of  Aquia.  The  next 
morning  we  were  astir  betimes,  and  moving  through  the  fog  a 
good  two  hours  before  the  sun  appeared  to  scatter  it.  Notwith 
standing  that  dress  uniforms  and  extra  blankets,  shirts,  and 
stockings,  had  been  turned  in,  in  April,  many  of  the  infantry 
seemed  to  consider  their  overcoats  and  more  than  one  blanket 
for  two  men,  encumbrances,  for  these  articles  were  plentifully 
strewn  along  the  way,  this  morning,  and  must  have  afforded  a  con 
siderable  prize  to  the  dwellers  on  this  route,  even  though  some 
thrifty  soldiers  exchanged  inferior  garments  or  blankets  for  excel 
lent  ones  that  had  been  cast  away. 

Arriving  at  Aquia  Creek,  where  this  road  crosses,  we  found,  as 
we  were  about  to  ford  the  stream,  that  a  foot  bridge  of  rails  had 
been  thrown  across,  on  the  lower  side  of  the  wagon  road  through 
the  creek  ;  but  this  was  only  wide  enough  for  the  passage  of  two 
abreast,  and  while  the  bridge  would  be  continually  lined  with  men 
passing  over,  there  was  a  considerable  crowd  waiting  on  the 
shore,  the  men  being  naturally  reluctant  to  plunge  into  the  cold 
water  before  sunrise,  and  to  wear  their  wet  pants,  stockings,  and 


Il6  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

shoes  for  an  hour  or  two  after,  upon  a  hurried  march.  This  hesi 
tation,  however  pardonable,  did  not  suit  a  newly-fledged  brigadier, 
who,  riding  up  at  this  moment,  drove  them  headlong  into  the  creek. 
We  saw  him  brandish  his  sword  about  their  heads  and  thrust  and 
cut  at  their  ears  as  if  he  were  a  cavalry  recruit  practising  upon  dum 
mies  with  a  sabre.  Doubtless  the  wet  feet  and  chills,  conjoined  to 
the  sleeping  in  the  open  air,  were  among  the  causes  of  the  "  night 
blindness,"  with  which  during  this  season  many  were  afflicted. 

The  ford  of  the  Occoquan  at  Wolf  Run  Shoal,  which  we  reached 
at  mid-day,  is  a  very  difficult  crossing  on  account  of  the  slippery 
ledge  and  loose  stones  on  the  bed  of  the  pathway  ;  and  for  teams 
especially,  because  of  bowlders  of  various  size,  among  which  the 
drivers  must  carefully  steer,  at  the  same  time  keeping  a  tight 
rein  upon  the  horses  lest  they  slip  and  fall  upon  the  sunken  rocks 
on  the  bed  of  the  river.  The  passage  of  the  corps  was  necessarily 
slow ;  but  the  approach  to  the  water  was  rapid  enough,  being 
down  a  quite  steep,  though  indirect  pathway  from  the  bank  above ; 
altogether,  the  gulf  through  which  the  Occoquan  flows  at  this 
place  is  strikingly  picturesque. 

Our  battery  made  a  safe  transit,  and  as  speedily  as  any  of  the 
mounted  corps,  and  a  few  hours  later  halted  with  the  other  regi 
ments  and  batteries  of  our  division,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fair 
fax  Station.  We  bivouacked  here,  receiving  in  the  course  of  the 
evening  rations  for  ourselves  and  grain  and  hay  for  our  horses. 

Shortly  after  the  indecisive  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  the  term 
of  service  of  nearly  40,000  men  expired.  Among  these  two  years 
regiments  was  the  Sixteenth  New  York,  of  the  First  Division, 
Sixth  Corps.  There  being,  in  the  several  companies  of  this  corps, 
men  who  had  enlisted  at  different  times  subsequent  to  the 
mustering  in  of  the  regiment,  these  soldiers,  as  three  years  men, 
were  distributed  among  various  corps  of  the  division,  to  serve  out 
the  remainder  of  their  terms.  Thirty  of  these  were  attached  to 
the  First  Massachusetts  Battery,  and  had  marched  with  us  to  this 
station.  These  men  were  almost  without  exception  from  the  west 
shore  of  Lake  Champlain,  a  hardy,  intelligent,  and  for  the  most 
part  adaptable  body  of  soldiers ;  therefore  they  were  a  desirable 
acquisition  to  our  company ;  and  it  had,  including  them  and  other 
recruits  which  it  had  received  during  the  past  winter,  on  the  i6th  of 
June,  a  full  complement  of  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  1 1/ 

Gen.  Hooker  had  now  brought  his  army  into  a  position  by 
means  of  which  he  could  cover  Washington,  and  could  readily 
move  to  the  defence  of  Baltimore  from  the  threatened  attack  of 
the  advancing  and  powerful  army  led  by  Lee.  For  the  "  skill, 
energy,  and  endurance  "  by  means  of  which  he  accomplished  this, 
he  deserved  and  soon  received  the  thanks  of  Congress.  His 
headquarters  on  the  i/th  and  i8th  were  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  our  division  at  Fairfax  Station.  We  saw  him  occasionally 
standing  by  a  fire  which  burned  near  his  tent,  and  remember 
seeing  him  light  his  cigar  with  a  lighted  sliver  which  his  servant 
handed  him.  Our  purpose  now  seems  to  have  been  to  watch  and 
wait  for  the  further  development  of  the  enemy's  plans.  On  the 
1 5th,  Ewell,  who  seems  to  have  commanded  the  van  of  the  Con 
federates,  encountered  Gen.  Milroy  west  of  Winchester.  Ewell 
was  apparently  moving  up  the  Potomac  to  some  point  above 
Martinsburg.  The  valley  was  swarming  with  Confederate  troops, 
but  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  so  located  that  it  could  prevent 
their  egress  through  the  gaps  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  or  in  the  event 
of  their  crossing  the  upper  Potomac,  say  at  Martinsburg  or 
Williamsport,  could  be  in  the  valley  of  the  Monocacy  in  a  few 
hours,  and  ranging  north  and  south  of  Frederick  interpose  itself 
between  its  adversaries  and  Baltimore,  at  the  same  time  having 
the  capital  behind  its  protecting  lines. 

The  superior  portion  of  the  Confederate  army  on  the  I9th  and 
2Oth  was  far  up  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  beyond  Luray,  but  grad 
ually  moving  north.  At  this  time  Ewell's  division,  which  routed 
Milroy' s  brigades  defending  Winchester,  had  moved  to  the  Poto 
mac,  opposite  Williamsport. 

Now,  in  the  further  disposition  of  the  Federal  forces  made 
necessary  by  the  enemy's  movements,  the  Sixth  Army  Corps  was 
sent  across  Bull  Run  and  along  the  line  of  the  Alexandria  and 
Orange  Railroad,  to  occupy  a  position  upon  the  plains,  where  it 
could  observe  and  foil  any  attempt  of  the  Confederates  to  cross  to 
the  east  side  of  the  mountains.  As  an  element  of  this  corps 
of  observation  and  reconnoissance,  our  company  crossed  Black 
burn's  Ford  on  the  iQth,  marched  over  the  rugged,  broken 
ridge,  the  scene  of  the  bloody  conflict  of  July,  1861  ;  over  the 
knolls  beyond ;  by  the  Brick  Farmhouse  so  often  mentioned 
in  the  annals  of  warfare  in  the  Manassas  region ;  by  the  June- 


Il8  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

tion,  and  over  the  site  of  the  village  of  log  huts  where 
we  tarried  two  days  in  the  spring  of  1862,  when  we  came  out 
with  Gen.  McDowell,  previous  to  the  organization  of  the  Sixth 
Corps ;  crossed  Broad  Run  at  a  point  near  where  we  had  bivou 
acked  in  storm  and  sleet,  fifteen  months  ago,  and  took  position  at 
Bristow  Station,  facing  to  the  west.  Here  where  the  railroad 
embankment  on  the  plain  made  an  effective  defensive  field  work, 
lay,  four  days,  the  infantry  and  artillery  of  our  division.  The  cav 
alry  vedettes  of  this  section  ranged  along  a  line  drawn  through 
points  perhaps  three  miles  to  the  south  and  west  of  our  position, 
and  between  it  and  our  outposts  was  the  infantry  picket  line. 
Cavalry  was  actively  scouring  the  region  in  our  front  and  on  our 
left  flanks.  In  the  meanwhile  Ewell,  on  the  2ist,  had  invaded  the 
narrow  portion  of  Maryland  north  of  Williamsport ;  a  few  hours' 
march  will  take  his  division  into  Pennsylvania.  On  the  22d  a 
large  part  of  the  force  yet  in  the  valley  move  rapidly  after  Ewell 
toward  Williamsport.  These  are  now  known  to  have  been  the 
troops  of  Longstreet  and  Hill ;  they  cross  upon  the  24th  and 
25th.  Now  the  Federal  columns  are  moving  toward  the  crossing 
at  Edwards'  Ferry.  The  Sixth  Corps  reaches  the  vicinity  of  the 
ferry,  the  evening  of  the  26th.  A  large  part  of  the  army  and  the 
general  commanding  are  already  in  Maryland.  We  cross  on  the 
27th,  and  on  this  day  Gen.  Hooker  was  in  Frederick. 

To  arrive  at  an  approximate  notion  of  the  relative  situation  and 
strength  of  the  two  armies  at  this  moment,  let  the  reader  picture 
in  his  mind  the  map  of  western  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania, 
or  spread  before  his  eye  an  actual  map  of  that  region.  Find 
Chambersburg  in  Cumberland  Valley ;  Lee,  with  Longstreet  and 
Hill,  had  reached  this  place  about  the  same  time  that  Hooker 
came  into  Frederick.  Early  was  thirty  miles  east  and  Ewell 
about  thirty  miles  west  of  the  main  body  of  their  army.  Taking 
Frederick  as  a  centre,  the  Federal  corps  lay  east,  south,  and  north 
east,  all  within  twenty  miles  of  that  town,  except  that  a  considera 
ble  cavalry  force,  commanded  by  Gen.  Buford,  which  had  been  fol 
lowing  the  track  of  Lee,  was  yet  in  Cumberland  Valley  over  the 
mountains  from  Frederick. 

According  to  the  estimate  of  Gen.  Humphreys,  Lee  had  at 
this  moment  85,000  infantry,  8,000  cavalry,  and  a  due  proportion  of 
artillery,  though  De  Peyster  says  "  this  is  a  low  estimate,"  and  that 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT     BATTERY.  I IQ 

there  is  reason  to  think  he  mustered  over  100,000  men,  not  over 
83,000  of  whom  were  in  the  actions  of  the  ist,  2d,  and  3d  of  July. 
Gen.  Humphreys  states  that  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  consisted  of 
70,000  infantry,  10,000  cavalry,  and  300  guns. 

It  was  now  that  Gen.  Hooker  requested  that  the  troops  at 
Harper's  Ferry  be  placed  at  his  disposal ;  not  only  were  they 
needed  for  the  active  campaign  which  was  in  progress,  but  bitter 
experience  had  demonstrated  the  futility  of  attempting  to  hold 
that  place  for  a  defensive  position.  The  opinion  that  it  was  vastly 
easier  to  capture  it  with  a  comparatively  small  force  than  to  hold 
it  with  a  large  number,  had  been  more  than  once  expressed  by 
generals  of  reputation  on  both  sides. 

In  the  present  instance  of  invasion,  for  any  impediment  that  it 
placed  in  the  way  of  the  Confederate  entry  into  Maryland,  it  were 
as  well  not  in  being.  But  General-in-Chief  Halleck  refused  to 
allow  the  withdrawal  of  the  troops  from  this  position,  and  Gen. 
Hooker  tendered  his  resignation  as  commander  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  Strange  to  relate,  his  resignation  was  immediately 
accepted  ;  and  Gen.  Meade,  obeying  as  a  soldier  the  orders  of  the 
general-in-chief,  assumed  command  on  the  28th. 

We  judge  that  this  fact  was  not  generally  known  by  the  rank 
and  file  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  until  the  night  of  the  ist  of  July  ;  for 
then  the  general  order  of  the  new  commander  was  read  to  our 
company  in  line,  in  which,  after  stating  that  he  assumed  command 
in  obedience  to  orders  as  a  soldier,  he  briefly  reviewed  the  mili 
tary  situation,  reminding  his  command  of  the  momentous  issues 
at  stake,  making  an  earnest  appeal  to  their  patriotism,  and  enjoining 
strict  fidelity  to  duty. 

If  the  reader  will  glance  once  more  at  the  map  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  note  the  situation  of  York  and  Columbia,  and  their  position 
with  reference  to  Harrisburg,  Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore,  and 
remember  that  on  the  2Qth  and  3Oth  of  June,  and  the  ist  of  July, 
the  left  of  Lee's  army,  commanded  by  Ewell,  was  in  the  region  in 
which  these  places  are  situated,  he  will  understand  why  the  Sixth 
Corps,  at  this  moment  the  right  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
should  have  been  at  Manchester,  forty-two  miles  northwest  of 
Baltimore. 

"  Boots  and  saddles "  sounded  at  half-past  seven  p.  M.  ;  the 
company  was  in  line  and  ready  for  the  road  a  few  minutes  later. 


I2O  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

General  orders  were  read,  and  in  the  too  calm  quiet  of  this  sum 
mer  night,  this  command  waited  for  orders  to  move  into  column. 
Gettysburg  was  more  than  thirty  miles ,  away,  and  the  route 
thither  was  not  direct.  A  march  of  thirty-five  miles  was  before  us. 

It  was  between  eight  and  nine  o'clock,  twenty-four  hours  after 
our  arrival  hither,  that  we  set  out  at  a  quickstep,  that  soon  became 
a  trot  until  it  would  be  necessary  to  halt  for  little,  till  interval  had 
been  gained  by  ranks  and  teams  in  advance.  Then  rapid  movement 
would  be  resumed.  It  was  a  typical  July  night ;  the  sultry  air 
retaining  the  mid-day  heat,  there  was  an  uncomfortable  closeness. 

The  march  was  made  with  unflagging  energy  all  night,  and 
there  was  no  relaxation  of  effort  when  the  scorching  sun  of  the 
2d  of  July  appeared  to  light  another  day's  conflict  on  that  field  to 
which  we  were  hastening.  Now  was  the  test  of  physical  vigor, 
—  to  keep  the  ranks  and  make  the  requisite  time,  wipe  away  the 
perspiration,  grin,  and  endure.  So,  for  an  hour  after  sunrise,  men 
and  horses  well  stood  the  test.  Then  there  was  a  brief  rest  to 
answer  the  calls  of  nature,  after  which  regiments  and  batteries  were 
speeding  on.  Now  the  column  moved  through  Westminster,  the 
town  having  been  well  waked  up  by  the  beat  of  hoofs  and  the 
tramp  of  feet. 

Let  us  digress  here  a  moment,  to  record  to  the  honor  of  this 
town,  that  when  once  a  Confederate  force  approached  it  with  a 
demand  for  supplies  for  15, OCX)  men  and  the  threat  to  destroy  the 
town  if  they  were  withheld,  the  fathers  asked  for  time  to  remove 
the  women  and  children,  as  they  declined  to  accede  to  the  demand 
for  supplies.  Fortunately,  Union  cavalry  appearing  at  this  junc 
ture,  the  Confederates  withdrew.  The  passage  of  the  Sixth  Corps 
on  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  July,  caused  perhaps  a  pleasanter 
awakening  of  the  townspeople. 

The  next  five  miles  are  traversed  with  scarcely  a  break  in  the 
steady,  rapid,  forward  movement.  The  sun's  rays  strike  fiercely. 
Countenances  are  begrimed  with  dust  and  sweat.  Now  the 
progress  is  slower  ;  the  road  is  ascending  for  a  way.  We  are  mov 
ing  due  north.  Now  we  hear  the  sound  of  cannon,  peal  on  peal. 
At  length,  at  noon,  we  reach  a  plateau,  over  which  the  road  passes 
on  the  Pennsylvania  side ;  there  away  to  the  north  is  a  portion  of 
the  Federal  line  of  battle.  We  see  distinctly  the  batteries  working 
upon  the  crest  of  a  ridge,  as  we  are  moving  forward  to  the  scene. 


THE   VICINITY    OF    GETTYSBURG. 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  121 


CHAPTER  XI. 


EXAMINE  now  the  map,  "vicinity  of  Gettysburg."  Note 
the  position  of  the  town.  Observe  the  long,  irregular,  curved 
ridge  south  of  it ;  the  east  and  short  arm  of  this  curvilinear  range 
is  Gulp's  Hill.  At  the  apex  of  the  angle  formed  by  the  intersec 
tion  of  Gulp's  Hill  with  the  longer  arm  of  the  range,  is  Cemetery 
Hill.  South,  along  the  long  arm  of  the  ridge,  where  the  cross 
road  passes  from  the  Baltimore  pike  to  the  Emmetsburg  road,  is 
Little  Round  Top.  South  of  this,  and  the  base  of  the  map,  is 
Round  Top.  The  crest  of  this  aptly  termed,  "  fish-hook  shaped 
ridge  "  was  the  Federal  position  on  the  2d  and  3d  of  July.  Now 
with  the  town  again  for  the  point  of  view,  observe  west  of  it  another 
ridge  overlooking  the  village  and  extending  by  it  from  north  to 
south.  This  is  Oak  or  Seminary  Ridge.  On  its  crest  and  on  the 
plain  east  of  it,  even  into  the  village,  was  fought  the  disastrous 
battle  of  the  ist  of  July.  From  this  elevation  descended  the 
Confederate  force  on  the  2d  of  July,  to  attempt  to  turn  the  Union 
left  near  Little  Round  Top.  From  this  ridge  on  the  same  day, 
they  made  the  futile  attempt  to  storm  Cemetery  Hill.  From  this 
same  position  at  one  p.  M.  on  the  3d  of  July,  their  150  guns  belched 
forth  their  awful  thunder,  making  the  air  demoniacal  for  two  hours. 
This  concentration  of  artillery  fire  upon  Cemetery  Ridge  was 
intended,  doubtless,  to  demoralize  its  defenders  before  the  grand 
charge  of  their  18,000  infantry  up  its  side.  Back  upon  this  Semi 
nary  Hill  the  remnant  of  the  Confederate  force  retired  after  their 
repulse  upon  the  3d  of  July,  and  on  this  ground  they  were  attacked 
by  Meade,  late  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day.  Finally,  from  this 
ridge  they  retreated  to  Virginia. 

On  the  2d  of  July  the  Third  Corps  (Gen.  Sickles),  which  had 
arrived   during  the  previous  evening,  with  a  part  of   the    First 


122  THE     STORY    OF    THE 

Corps,  occupied  the  left  of  the  Union  position,  forming  an 
advanced  line  extending  through  the  Devil's  Den,  along  the 
Emmetsburg  road,  across  Plum  Run  to  the  spur  of  Round  Top. 
This  advanced  line,  Sickles's  first  position,  has  been  the  subject 
alike  of  adverse  criticism  and  approval  by  military  authorities.  It 
was  to  turn  this  line  and  obtain  possession  of  Little  Round  Top,  the 
key  of  the  Federal  position,  that  Longstreet  made  the  memorable 
assault,  early  in  the  afternoon,  upon  the  lines  of  Sickles  and 
Doubleday.  The  Third  Corps  was  the  extreme  left,  its  infantry 
in  front  and  behind  it  artillery, —  several  Massachusetts  batteries, 
among  them  Bigelow's  and  Phillips's,  and  several  companies  under 
Capt.  McGilvry  of  Maine.  Later,  the  Fifth  Corps  arrived  and 
were  in  position,  and  afterward  the  left  wing  was  further  rein 
forced  by  the  infantry  of  the  Sixth  Corps.  Before  this  line  was 
a  ravine,  and  beyond  the  ravine,  sloping  down  to  a  stone-wall,  was 
a  wheatfield. 

There  was  a  skirmish  at  noon  near  the  Emmetsburg  road,  for 
the  possession  of  some  cattle.  This  brought  on  the  engagement 
of  the  day. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  vim,  the  terrible  energy  of  the  Con 
federate  attack.  Between  two  and  three  o'clock  their  legions, 
with  that  yell  whose  echo  was  infernal,  poured  over  the  wheat- 
field,  over  the  stone-wall,  past  the  ravine,  striking  with  direful 
effect  the  divisions  of  the  Third  Corps,  who  fought  with  a  valor 
never  surpassed,  realizing  that  a  repulse  at  this  point  would  result 
in  yielding  to  the  enemy  the  key  of  the  Federal  position  —  the 
Round  Tops.  Here  Gen.  Sickles  lost  his  right  leg  while  holding 
the  heroic  Third  to  the  awful  task  that  had  devolved  upon  it  and 
its  associate  corps.  For  two  hours  the  conflict  raged  in  this 
quarter,  two  divisions  of  the  Fifth  Corps  having  meanwhile 
arrived,  and  having  been  engaged  upon  the  right  of  the  Third.  But 
the  lines  were  scattered  and  driven  back  ;  several  thousand  arms 
had  been  lost.  A  little  after  five  o'clock,  a  Confederate  charge 
upon  the  First  Division  of  the  Third  Corps  on  the  extreme  left, 
drove  back  the  Federal  infantry  and  threatened  the  batteries  to 
which  we  have  alluded  as  being  behind  the  divisions  of  the  Third 
Corps.  Orders  were  sent  to  Capt.  Bigelow  of  Massachusetts, 
whose  battery  was  upon  the  extreme  left,  to  hold  his  position  at 
all  hazards  until  two  other  batteries  should  be  sent  to  support 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  123 

him.  As  the  Confederates  charged  upon  his  guns,  he  opened 
with  double  charges  of  grape  and  canister,  but  he  did  not  break 
their  line,  for  they  continually  closed  up  their  gaps  and  pressed 
on.  After  his  canister  was  exhausted,  he  fired  spherical  case  at 
short  range.  The  enemy  approach  within  six  paces  of  his  guns. 
He  remembers  the  imperative  order,  and  holds  his  place.  They 
spring  upon  his  carriages  and  shoot  his  horses  ;  then  Bigelow's 
cannoneers  and  he  seize  two  of  the  guns  and  drag  them  by  hand 
from  the  front  line  back  to  the  position  of  the  caissons,  five  out 
of  six  of  which  were  saved.  So  the  enemy  fell  upon  Phillips's 
battery,  its  horses  were  shot  down,  its  guns  were  drawn  off  by  hand. 
These  scenes  transpired  in  front  and  west  of  the  ridge.  Now 
from  a  new  position  on  the  slope,  these  batteries,  and  several  that 
had  reinforced  them  again,  opened  fire  ;  the  enemy,  coming  to 
attack  these,  were  exposed  to  enfilading  fires  from  the  centre  ; 
whenever  they  came  within  this  position,  their  punishment  was 
terrible.  Now  the  leading  division  of  the  Fifth  Corps  arrived  to 
the  aid  of  the  left,  advancing  in  line,  Gen.  Crawford  leading,  bear 
ing  the  colors,  as  fugitives  were  rushing  through  his  ranks. 
Crawford  ordered  a  charge.  Forward  launched  the  division,  pour 
ing  volley  after  volley  into  the  Confederate  ranks,  which  were  driven 
back  across  the  ravine,  over  the  stone-wall  and  across  the  grainfield. 
The  lost  ground  and  quantities  of  arms  were  regained.  Now 
arrived  the  other  divisions  of  the  Fifth  and  the  infantry  of  the 
Sixth,  strengthening  the  left  and  centre.  On  a  dozen  crests, 
points  in  the  curved  line  extending  from  Round  Top  to  our  right 
centre,  were  batteries  comprising,  among  others,  all  of  the  reserve 
artillery  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  whose  fires  crossed  and 
murderously  raked  the  paths  of  the  advancing  columns  of  the 
enemy,  now  turning  his  attention  to  the  centre,  breaking  and 
shattering  them,  rendering  their  capture  easy ;  and  during  the 
last  hour  of  the  combined  effort  of  the  Third,  Fifth,  and  Sixth  on 
the  left  and  centre,  it  is  said  more  prisoners  were  captured 
than  in  the  whole  previous  time. 

****** 

The  Sixth  Corps  was  within  supporting  distance  at  two  o'clock 
on  the  2d  of  July,  after  its  all-night  march,  and  reaching  the 
road  which  leaves  the  Baltimore  pike  on  the  west  (see  map), 
moved  along  this  way  to  Little  Round  Top,  ready  to  take  part  in 


124  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

the  action.  The  infantry  was  immediately  ordered  in  at  this  place. 
But  the  reserve  artillery  having  already  entered  the  conflict,  the 
artillery  of  our  corps,  for  the  time  being,  became  the  reserve. 

****** 

On'  the  Union  right,  extending  along  the  ridge  over  Cemetery 
Hill  to  Gulp's  Hill,  were  the  Second  Corps  (Gen.  Hancock  arriv 
ing  on  the  previous  afternoon,  "  giving  strength  to  the  position 
and  confidence  to  the  forces  by  his  presence  "),  the  Twelfth  Corps 
(Gen.  Slocum  having  arrived  in  the  evening  of  the  1st  of  July, 
being  at  that  moment  the  senior  general),  the  Eleventh  Corps 
and  Wadsworth's  division  of  the  First.  Hill's  Confederate  corps, 
which  was  the  centre  of  Lee's  army,  confronted  the  Second  Corps 
and  part  of  the  Eleventh ;  while  the  Confederate  left,  Swell's 
corps,  was  opposed  to  a  part  of  the  Eleventh  and  Wadsworth's 
division.  The  remainder  of  the  First  was  on  the  left  of  our  army, 
on  the  2d  of  July,  as,  late  in  the  afternoon,  was  the  Twelfth,  it 
having  been  despatched  to  the  aid  of  the  weakened  Third. 

Here  Hill's  corps  made  a  vain  attempt  to  storm  Cemetery 
Hill,  and  Ewell  gained  some  slight  advantage  toward  Rock  Creek. 
These  movements  commenced  about  six  P.  M.,  and  continued  into 
the  evening,  the  moon  having  risen  while  the  struggle  continued. 
Swell's  movement  developed  to  him  the  fact  that  our  extreme 
right  had  been  somewhat  weakened,  the  Twelfth  Corps,  as  has 
already  been  stated,  having  gone  to  the  aid  of  the  Union  left,  and 
he  was  able  to  make  a  slight  lodgement  on  Gulp's  Hill.  But 
when  the  strife  ceased,  upon  the  night  of  the  2d  of  July,  all  along 
the  line,  it  may  be  said  that  the  advantage  lay  decidedly  with  the 
Federals,  for  the  left  occupied  an  impregnable  position,  that  which 
the  commanding  general  first  designed  that  it  should  hold,  and 
on  the  right  Ewell  was  dislodged  on  the  morrow. 

In  the  profound  silence  of  this  midsummer  night  there  was  no 
slumber  for  Gen.  Meade  and  his  lieutenants.  The  commander  is 
even  said  to  have  contemplated  a  change  in  his  plan  of  movements. 
In  the  council  of  war,  however,  the  advice  of  his  generals  seems 
generally  to  have  been  in  favor  of  maintaining  the  position  held 
at  dusk,  as  incomparably  superior  to  any  other  that  might  be 
selected.  Moreover,  despatches  from  Richmond,  which  had  been 
found  upon  a  captured  courier,  showed  that  Lee  could  hope  for  no 
more  reinforcements. 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT    BATTERY. 

The  short  summer  night  sped,  and  at  daylight,  Gen.  Slocum's 
corps  having  returned  to  the  right,  and  with  their  return  com 
menced  the  operation  of  dislodging  the  Confederates  from  Gulp's 
Hill,  this  was  accomplished  before  ten  o'clock,  by  Gen.  Slocum's 
troops  and  Wadsworth's  division  of  the  First  Corps.  Gen.  Lee 
now  withdrew  his  sharpshooters  and  all  his  infantry  from  the 
town.  The  retirement  of  these  troops  to  Seminary  Ridge  was 
doubtless  intended  to  allure  Meade  from  his  advantageous  posi 
tion.  The  stratagem  failed.  The  Confederate  retreat  from  the 
town  was  quickened  by  some  parting  shots  from  a  knoll  north  of 
the  cemetery.  At  noon  the  frightened  and  bewildered  inhabi 
tants  who  were  yet  in  the  town,  creeping  out  to  ascertain  the 
meaning  of  the  silence,  saw  the  Confederates  falling  back  to  the 
seminary. 

It  is  said,  that,  on  this  eventful  Friday,  3d  of  July,  Gen.  Lee 
did  not  desire  to  attack  the  Federal  position ;  he  saw  its  supe 
riority,  but  he  yielded  to  the  appeals  of  his  lieutenants. 

At  one  P.  M.  the  Confederate  commander  opened  with  150  guns 
upon  the  eminence  held  by  the  Federals.  For  two  hours  the  air 
was  alive  with  shells.  This  was  the  tremendous  artillery  fire 
designed  to  demoralize  the  Federal  troops  before  the  grand  charge 
of  Longstreet's  grand  division. 

****** 

Our  command,  having  been  held  in  reserve,  was,  we  believe,  one 
of  the  last  batteries  to  enter  the  conflict.  But  on  this  day,  about 
two  o'clock,  passing  in  near  Little  Round  Top,  then  running  the 
gauntlet  of  the  Confederate  fire,  we  succeeded  in  relieving  the 
First  New  Hampshire  Battery,  on  Cemetery  Ridge,  and  there  did 
honorable  service.  Every  shell  from  Seminary  Hill  seemed  to  be 
thrown  at  the  cemetery.  Amidst  this  terrible  Confederate  can 
nonade,  scarcely  a  Federal  shot  was  heard  :  the  cannoneers  with 
their  implements  lay  low  in  the  little  ditches  dug  behind  their  guns. 

Artillerymen  declared  that  they  had  precisely  the  range  of  the 
ridge  occupied  by  the  enemy.  One  of  our  boys  evidently  thought 
differently,  since  he  discharged  one  of  our  Napoleons.  This 
brought  hither  an  aid,  for  there  had  been  no  orders  to  fire.  "  I 
am  directed  to  ask  why  that  gun  was  fired,"  he  said.  H.,  who 
had  held  the  lanyard  and  pulled  the  string,  heard  his  chief  of 
section  reply,  that  the  gunner  was  "getting  the  range." 


126  THE    STORY    OF    THE 

Our  infantry,  with  loaded  guns,  awaited  the  charge.  At 
three  o'clock  the  cannonade  lulled ;  from  among  the  rocks  and  the 
stunted  woods  of  Seminary  Hill  arose  an  interminable,  hideous 
yell.  The  tried  soldiers  upon  the  opposite  ridge  knew  well  what 
would  be  its  sequel.  In  every  portion  of  the  line  cannon  were 
directed  toward  the  valley  in  front  of  the  cemetery.  Down  from 
Seminary  Ridge  swept  the  Confederate  double  battle  line,  over  a 
mile  long,  skirmishers  in  front,  the  spectacle  provoking  the  admi 
ration  of  their  foes.  The  yell  had  ceased.  Silently  and  with  mili 
tary  precision,  18,000  men  moved  through  the  valley  toward  the 
slope  of  the  opposite  ridge. 

Now,  a  hundred  guns  tore  gaps  in  their  front.  Volleys  were 
poured  into  them,  breaking  their  line.  Yet  on  they  came. 
Grape,  canister,  and  spherical  case  fell  thick  among  them.  Still 
they  pushed  forward.  They  planted  their  battle-flags  on  the 
outer  line  of  works.  Thousands  of  Confederates  rushed  across, 
into  the  works  and  up  to  the  cemetery.  They  were  shouting 
and  screaming.  The  Confederate  shells  flew  over  the  field 
upon  the  Union  gunners  on  the  hill,  and  the  latter  directed 
all  their  fire  upon  the  surging  mass  of  desperate  assailants. 
Every  available  piece  upon  Cemetery  Hill,  and  every  gun  to 
the  right  and  to  the  left,  poured  shot  and  shell  into  the  valley. 
Still  the  indefatigable  foe  pushed  up  the  hill.  They  fought  hand 
to  hand  with  the  Federal  infantry.  The  contest  was  terrible 
—  so  close  that  the  exploding  powder  scorched  their  clothes. 
One  moment  the  Confederates  would  beat  the  railings  of  the 
cemetery,  then  a  Federal  rally  and  rush  would  send  them  back  to 
the  base  of  the  hill ;  then  with  a  yell  they  would  return,  and  there 
would  be  a  fierce  battle  among  the  tombstones.  Now  upon  this 
surging  mass,  the  Union  troops  closed  from  every  point.  Here 
was  the  hardest  fight  of  the  day.  Hundreds  were  slain  there. 
Out  of  that  terrible  fire  a  swarm  of  prisoners  rushed  into  our  lines. 
The  Confederate  repulse  was  complete,  absolute.  They  retired 
upon  their  own  hill. 

****** 

Now  Gen.  Meade  determined  to  drive  the  Confederates  out  of 
the  seminary.  His  troops  were  marshalled.  They  charged  down 
the  hill,  into  the  town,  through  the  streets,  and  ascended  the  hill 
toward  the  seminary,  under  a  heavy  fire  from  that  quarter.  This 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT    BATTERY.  I2/ 

portion  of  the  Confederate  line  had  evidently  been  much  weakened. 
After  some  resistance,  they  abandoned  the  hill  and  retreated 
from  the  seminary.  The  Federals  did  not  pursue.  During  the 
night  the  Confederates  retreated  still  further,  abandoning  their 
entire  line  of  battle.  It  is  a  coincidence  worthy  of  note  and  re 
membrance,  that,  at  the  moment  the  last  Confederate  charge  was 
being  repelled  at  Gettysburg,  Grant  was  receiving  Pemberton's 
sword  at  Vicksburg. 

#  *  *  *  *  * 

Accounts  of  this  battle  have  been  singularly  silent  in  regard  to 
the  influence  of  the  Sixth  Army  Corps  upon  the  fortunes  of  the 
campaign.  After  a  march  unsurpassed  in  military  annals,  our 
three  divisions  arrived  at  just  the  instant  when  the  Confederates, 
spurred  by  success,  were  penetrating  our  lines  to  the  right  of 
Round  Top.  In  three  parallel  lines  then  advanced  our  infantry. 
Gen.  Wright,  then  commanding  our  First  Division,  he  who  was, 
during  the  Shenandoah  campaign,  and  thence  to  the  close  of  the 
war,  the  able  and  honored  chief  of  the  corps,  says  :  "  The  volley 
from  our  front  line  was  perhaps  the  heaviest  I  ever  heard  ;  and  it 
had  the  effect,  not  only  of  checking  the  enemy's  triumphant 
advance,  but  of  throwing  his  ranks  into  the  utmost  confusion." 

What  would  have  been  the  final  result  of  the  second  day's  con 
test  had  the  Sixth  Army  Corps  failed  to  reach  the  field  at  that 
critical  moment?  Did  it  do  but  little  fighting  on  that  day?  It 
did  all  that  was  necessary  for  it  to  do. 


128  THE    STORY    OF    THE 


ROSTER. 


SIXTH   ARMY  CORPS. 

Engaged  at  Gettysburg,  July  2  and  3,  1863. 


Sixth  Corps.  —  MAJ.  GEN.  JOHN  SEDGWICK,  Commanding. 

• 

FIRST   DIVISION. 

BRIG.  GEN.  HORATIO  G.  WRIGHT,  Commanding. 

First  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  A.  T.  A.  TORBERT,  Commanding,  ist  New 
Jersey,  Lieut.  Col.  Wm.  Henry,  Jr.;  2d  New  Jersey,  Col. 
Sam'l  L.  Buck ;  3d  New  Jersey,  Col.  Henry  W.  Brown ; 
1 5th  New  Jersey,  Col.  Wm.  H.  Penrose. 

Second  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  J.  J.  BARTLETT,  Commanding.  5th  Maine,  Col. 
Clark  S.  Edwards;  I2ist  New  York,  Col.  Emory  Upton; 
95th  Pennsylvania,  Lieut.  Col.  Edward  Carroll ;  p6th 
Pennsylvania,  Lieut.  Col.  Wm.  H.  Lessig. 

Third  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  D.  A.  RUSSELL,  Commanding.  6th  Maine, 
Col.  Hiram  Burnham ;  49th  Pennsylvania,  Col.  Wm.  H. 
Irvin;  H9th  Pennsylvania,  Col.  P.  E.  Ellmaker ;  5th 
Wisconsin,  Col.  Thos.  S.  Allen. 

SECOND   DIVISION. 

BRIG.  GEN.  A.   P.  HOWE,  Commanding. 

Second  Brigade. —  COL.  L.  A.  GRANT,  Commanding.  2d  Vermont,  Col.  J.  H. 
Walbridge;  3d  Vermont,  Col.  T.  O.  Seaver;  4th  Vermont. 
Col.  E.  H.  Stoughton  ;  5th  Vermont,  Lieut.  Col.  Jno.  R. 
Lewis ;  6th  Vermont,  Lieut.  Col.  E.  L.  Barney. 

Third  Brigade.—  BRIG.  GEN.  T.  A.  Neill,  Commanding.  7th  Maine,  Lieut. 
Col.  Selden  Connor;  49th  New  York,  Col.  D.  D.  Bid- 
well;  77th  New  York,  Col.  J.  B.  McKean;  43d  New  York, 
Col.  B.  F.  Baker;  6ist  Pennsylvania,  Maj.  Geo.  W.  Daw- 
son. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY. 
THIRD    DIVISION. 

BRIG.  GEN.  FRANK  WHEATON,  Commanding. 

First  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEX.  ALEXANDER  SHALER,  Commanding.  65th  New 
York,  Col.  J.  E.  Hamblin  ;  6;th  New  York,  Col.  Nelson 
Cross;  I22d  New  York,  Lieut.  Col.  A.  W.  Dwight ;  23d 
Pennsylvania,  Lieut.  Col.  Jno.  F.  Glinn ;  82d  Pennsylvania, 
Col.  Isaac  Bassett. 

Second  Brigade.  —  COL.  H.  L.  EUSTIS,  Commanding.  7th  Massachusetts, 
Lieut.  Col.  F.  P.  Harlow ;  loth  Massachusetts,  Lieut.  Col. 
J.  M.  Decker ;  37th  Massachusetts,  Col.  T.  Ingraham ;  2d 
Rhode  Island,  Lieut.  Col.  A.  W.  Corliss. 

Third  Brigade.  —  COL.  DAVID  NEVIN.  Commanding.  62d  New  York,  Lieut. 
Col.  T.  B.  Hamilton ;  io2d  Pennsylvania,  Col.  J.  W. 
Patterson;  93d  Pennsylvania,  Col.  J.  M.  McCarter  ;  pSth 
Pennsylvania,  Maj.  J.  B.  Kohler ;  i3Qth  Pennsylvania, 
Lieut  Col.  W.  H.  Moody. 

ARTILLERY   BRIGADE. 

COL.  CHAS.  H.  TOMPKIXS,  Commanding.  Battery  A,  ist  Massachusetts, 
Capt.  Wm.  H.  McCartney;  Battery  D,  2d  United  States,  Lieut.  E.  B. 
Williston;  Battery  F,  5th  United  States,  Lieut.  Leonard  Martin;  Battery 
G,  2d  United  States,  Lieut.  G.  H.  Butler;  Battery  C,  ist  Rhode  Island, 
Capt.  Richard  Waterman;  Battery  G,  ist  Rhode  Island,  Capt.  G.  W. 
Adams  ;  ist  New  York,  Capt.  Andrew  Cowan;  3d  New  York,  Capt.  Wm. 
A.  Harn. 

CAVALRY    DETACHMENT. 

CAPT.  WM.  L.  CRAFT,  Commanding.     H,  ist  Pennsylvania;  L,  ist  New  Jersey. 

9 


130  THE     STORY     OF     THE 


CHAPTER   XII. 


A  hard  forced  march  from  Gettysburg  to  Frederick,  via 
Emmetsburg,  Maryland,  commenced  on  the  night  of  the 
5th  of  July  ;  we  encountered  on  the  way  Sisters  of  Charity,  pro 
ceeding  to  the  hospitals  in  Pennsylvania  to  minister  to  the  wounded, 
as  is  ever  their  wont  when  the  occasion  for  their  services  occurs. 
Our  arrival  at  Frederick  was  in  the  midst  of  rain,  that  had  been 
falling  more  or  less  through  the  previous  twelve  hours,  and  we  were 
quite  hungry.  After  a  brief  halt  in  this  town,  where  we  saw  the 
Tenth  Massachusetts  Battery  and  had  the  pleasure  of  greeting 
Capt.  Sleeper,  who  had  been  our  third  in  command,  it  became 
apparent  that  we  were  not  to  continue  the  pursuit  down  the 
Monocacy  Valley,  for  we  took  the  road  leading  over  South  Moun 
tain  to  Boonesboro.  One  circumstance  of  our  bivouac  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  place,  worthy  of  mention,  was  its  nearness  to  a 
most  remarkable  spring,  which  was  nothing  less  than  a  basin  in 
the  rock,  perhaps  twenty  feet  by  thirty  feet,  whose  outlet  was  a 
creek  which  a  few  rods  thence  entered  the  Antietam. 

We  soon  moved  to  Williamsport,  the  inference  being  that  Lee 
had  crossed  the  Potomac  near  this  town.  But  if  this  were  the 
route  of  the  retreating  army,  it  is  evident  that  its  southward  pro 
gress  had  been  sufficiently  rapid  to  render  it  necessary  for  us 
to  march  upon  a  more  easterly  line  and  one  nearer  the  railroad  com 
munications  with  the  capital,  for  we  descended  the  north  bank  of 
the  Potomac  and  crossed  that  river  about  two  miles  below  Har 
per's  Ferry,  entering  Virginia  at  the  same  point  as  in  the  previ 
ous  year,  six  weeks  after  the  battle  of  Antietam.  It  was  during 
this  week  that  news  of  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  reached  us, — the 
complement  of  the  encouraging  report  from  our  own  army,  which 
the  press  had  already  transmitted  to  the  West.  The  military  out- 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  13! 

look  from  a  Union  standpoint  had  never  before  been  so  promising. 
We  moved  up  Loudon  Valley,  bivouacked  one  night  upon  the 
banks  of  Goose  Creek,  made  yet  another  day's  march  southward, 
and  halted.  There  was  a  demand  for  fodder  for  the  horses ;  the  fol 
lowing  day,  therefore,  found  us  scouring  the 'by-ways  for  sequestered 
barns  where  sizable  haymows  might  be  found,  or  for  unmolested 
stacks.  Seldom  was  a  place  visited  in  this  part  of  Loudon  County 
where  we  were  not  assured  that  the  proprietor  was  a  "  good  Union 
man,"  and  were  cautioned  by  the  officers  in  charge  of  our  little  expe 
dition,  not  to  yield  to  any  temptation  that  might  present  itself  to 
plunder,  as  if  such  injunction  were  necessary  in  a  command  in 
which,  as  a  rule,  a  Spartan  diet  was  a  matter  of  preference,  and 
luxuries  were  despised.  But  one  was  forced  to  wonder  why  this 
section  did  not  send  its  delegates  to  the  West  Virginia  Conven 
tion,  in  order  that  it  might,  as  a  part  of  the  new  loyal  state,  receive 
the  recognition  and  protection  that  its  fidelity  merited. 

*  *  *  *  *  # 

What  a  network  of  blackberry  vines  covered  the  uncultivated 
tracts  along  the  line  of  march,  as  we  advanced  over  and  beyond 
the  height  of  land  between  the  tributaries  of  the  Potomac  and  the 
Rappahanock,  and  what  a  wealth  of  wild  fruit  there  was!  It  is 
estimated  that  the  free  use  of  blackberries  at  this  time  saved  the 
medical  department  thousands  of  dollars.  We  have  seen  a  briga 
dier,  during  a  few  moments'  halt  by  the  way,  filling  with  the 
luscious  fruit  the  tin  dipper  which  he  usually  carried  at  his  saddle. 
This  valley  region  which  we  were  now  traversing,  together  with 
both  slopes  of  the  eastern  range  of  mountains,  which  bounds  it, 
is  known  in  geography  as  the  Piedmont  region,  and  covers  an 
area  of  nearly  7,000  square  miles  ;  its  northern  boundary  is  the 
Potomac  ;  its  southern  limit,  the  south  state  line  of  Virginia. 

The  upper  waters  of  the  affluents  of  the  Rappahannock  are  a 
little  north  of  the  centre  of  this  district.  One  of  these  streams, 
called  Hedgeman's  River,  we  crossed  the  third  week  in  July,  and 
moved  over  the  east  side  of  the  mountains  to  the  vicinity  of 
Warrenton.  The  army  headquarters  were,  we  believe,  at  War- 
renton ;  there  is  a  branch  of  the  great  Midland  line  leading  north 
west  to  this  place,  which  was  our  immediate  base  of  supplies. 

This  county  of  Fauquier,  where  our  forces  lay  in  August,  1863, 
is  a  most  beautiful  region  of  undulation  and  plain,  with  fine  tracts 


132  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

of  hard-wood  growth  ;  there  were  grand  old  plantations  of  great 
extent,  with  ancestral  manor  house,  the  proprietor  generally  being 
absent.  There  would  be  here  and  there  a  rude  house  upon  the 
domain,  occupied  by  a  negro  family,  the  head  of  which  had  passed 
the  meridian  of  life.  The  good  wife  would  make  a  spread  fre 
quently  for  a  knot  of  soldiers,  at  two  and  threepence  a  head, 
the  boys  patronizing  the  old  dame  for  the  sake  of  the  then  novel 
experience  of  sitting  at  table  and  looking  at  crockery  in  lieu  of  tin 
ware. 

The  army  now  lay,  principally,  north  of  the  north  fork  of  the 
Rappahannock,  stretching  from  the  plains  crossed  by  the  Alex 
andria  and  Orange  Railroad,  south  of  Warrenton  Junction, 
through  Fauquier  Springs,  west  to  the  valley  that  lies  at  the  west 
slope  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  reaching  back  along  the  line  of  the 
railroad  and  the  Warrenton  pike,  toward  Gainesville. 

The  Confederate  force  lay  south  of  the  south  fork  of  the 
Rappahannock,  between  that  stream  and  the  Rapidan,  a  part  of 
their  forces  lying  south  of  that  river,  and  their  front  extending 
west  to  the  Blue  Ridge.  Any  flank  movement  at  this  time  would 
be  likely  to  be  an  attempt  to  march  by  our  right,  along  the  west 
base  of  the  ridge,  to  Thoroughfare  Gap  and  its  vicinity,  with  the 
purpose  of  striking  our  railroad  communications  in  the  rear. 

There  was  at  this  time  a  strong  line  of  infantry  and  artillery 
ranged  across  the  ridge  three  miles  northwest  of  Sulphur  Springs  ; 
the  guns  of  the  artillery  commanding  the  road  that  leads  over 
Hedgeman's  River,  and  generally  guarding  the  approaches  from 
the  southwest,  the  main  body  of  the  infantry  being  upon  the  east 
slope  of  the  ridge  and  reaching  up  to  the  crest. 

Previous  to  the  second  week  in  August,  the  point  on  this  ridge 
six  or  eight  miles  southwest  of  Warrenton  and  three  miles  north 
west  of  Sulphur  Springs,  the  most  advanced  artillery  outpost  on 
our  right,  was  held  by  Company  M,  Fifth  United  States,  which 
was  then  relieved  by  the  First  Massachusetts  Battery.  On  our 
left  and  rear,  upon  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  was  the  Twenty-sixth 
Pennsylvania  Regiment,  and  upon  our  right,  our  guns  being 
pointed  to  the  southwest,  was  the  Sixth  Vermont. 

The  anniversary  of  the  organization  of  the  former  regiment 
occurred  while  we  were  on  this  service,  and  the  occasion  was 
celebrated  by  that  command  with  such  festivities  as  our  brethren 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  133 

from  the  Middle  States,  especially  those  of  Teutonic  origin,  know 
so  well  how  to  inaugurate  and  conduct.  We  should  judge  that 
the  major  portion  of  the  line,  rank  and  file,  of  the  troops  upon  the 
ridge  and  of  those  upon  the  east  slope  and  neighboring  plain,  were 
present  to  witness  the  climbing  of  the  slippery  pole,  and  the 
chasing  of  the  pig,  and  to  partake  of  the  good  things  that  might 
be  afforded.  So  hilarious,  not  to  say  uproarious,  was  the  returning 
crowd  which  streamed  down  the  east  slope  to  their  camps,  that  a 
reverend  chaplain  of  another  Pennsylvania  regiment,  who  was 
holding  a  meeting  in  a  nook  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  felt  constrained 
to  criticise  the  unseemly  actions  of  some  of  the  revellers.  It 
having  been  intimated  that  a  soldier  correspondent  of  a  Pittsburg 
paper  would  write  a  glowing  account  of  the  afternoon's  festivities, 
the  reverend  gentleman  remarked  with  spirit  :  "  If  the  affair  is 
puffed  in  a  Pittsburg  paper,  it  will  get  puffed" 

****** 

The  otherwise  sultry  air  of  a  Virginian  August .  was  at  this 
place  materially  modified,  both  by  the  mountain  breezes  and  the 
heavy  thunderstorms  characteristic  of  this  region.  What  vivid 
flashes  !  what  peals  of  thunder  !  what  torrents  of  water  streamed 
down  the  slopes,  and  wore  gullies  therein  !  How  the  trees 
groaned  and  cracked  during  the  fury  of  the  storm  !  Occasionally 
one  would  be  demolished  by  a  bolt,  or  another  be  stripped  of  a 
section  of  its  bark,  together  with  some  of  its  limbs. 

****** 

One  afternoon  in  the  fourth  week  in  August,  the  cavalry  divi 
sion  of  Gen.  Gregg  might  have  been  seen  moving  north  along  the 
Sulphur  Springs  road  toward  Warrenton.  This  retirement  of  the 
cavalry  was  declared  by  the  knowing  ones  who  witnessed  it  to  indi 
cate  an  advance  of  our  lines.  We  certainly  did  move  on  the  follow 
ing  day,  byway  of  Sulphur  Springs,  crossing  the  branch  of  the  Rap- 
pahannock  at  that  place,  marching  during  that  day  across  Hazel 
River  and  thence  southwest  to  Stonehouse  Mountain,  at  the  north 
base  of  which  we  encamped.  This  lies  northwest  of  Culpepper, 
C.H.,  and  is  a  peak  of  that  range  to  which  we  have  so  often  alluded 
as  extending  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  under  different  local  names, 
through  Virginia.  This  forward  movement  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  indicated  the  retirement  of  the  main  body  of  Lee's  army, 
beyond  the  Rapidan.  Our  right  was  west  of  Culpepper,  C.  H., 


134  THE      STORY     OF     THE 

our  left  beyond  Rappahannock  Ford,  the  cavalry  being  busily 
employed  upon  the  flanks  of  our  long  line,  and  also  in  watching 
our  extended  line  of  communication.  We  tarried  here  during  the 
remainder  of  the  summer,  and  into  September.  The  continuance 
of  the  army  in  camp  for  so  many  weeks  since  its  arrival  in  the 
regions  of  Fauquier  and  Culpepper  Counties  emboldened  sutlers  to 
venture  to  move  out  to  the  camps  considerable  stores,  and  daguer- 
rotypists  to  come  hither  to  ply  their  craft.  Many  a  soldier  had  an 
opportunity  to  dispose  of  his  hard-earned  paper  to  the  former  and 
to  procure  a  counterfeit  of  himself  of  the  latter.  Tintypes  exhibit 
ing  full  length  portraits  of  the  boys  were  common  articles  of 
transmission  through  the  mails,  in  those  .days. 

It  was  while  at  this  place  that  a  proposition  was  submitted  to 
the  boys  to  contribute  ten  cents  each  toward  a  testimonial  to 
Gen.  McClellan.  When  the  scheme  was  explained  to  the  non 
commissioned  officers  and  privates  they  were  informed  that  it  had 
the  approval  of  Gen.  Meade,  and  that  all  general  officers  would 
participate  in  the  contribution  ;  that  colonels  and  subordinate  field 
officers  would  give  something  less,  and  that  line  officers  would 
generally  contribute  $1.50  each.  The  object  of  this  enterprise 
was  understood  to  be  a  vindication  of  Gen.  McClellan.  Whether 
it  implied  a  criticism  of  the  war  department  was  not  much  con 
sidered.  We  think  the  true  friends  of  Gen.  McClellan,  among 
whom  the  writer  of  this  chapter  counts  himself,  doubted  the  pro 
priety  of  such  a  plan,  judged  from  the  standpoint  of  healthy 
military  discipline.  The  scheme  was  nipped  in  the  bud  by  the 
department,  as  it  ought  to  have  been. 

****** 

Back  of  the  surgeon's  tent  a  crowd  was  gathered.  A  comrade 
sat  upon  a  cracker  box.  Along  comes  the  steward  with  a  pair  of 
rusty  forceps  ;  he  takes  the  soldier's  head  in  his  left  hand,  exam 
ines  his  mouth  and  applies  the  pincers  to  a  bicuspid.  The  boys 
are  intently  watching  the  face  of  the  patient.  The  tooth  is  firmly 
fixed  in  the  lower  jaw.  The  steward  makes  considerable  effort 
before  it  is  loosened,  causing  intense  pain,  but  at  length  displays 
the  tooth  in  the  grip  of  the  forceps,  to  the  crowd.  "He  never 
flinched,"  said  the  boys,  admiringly. 

On  another  day,  we  were  passing  a  hospital  tent,  and  were 
drawn  to  the  door  by  hearing  dreadful  imprecations  within,  which 


FIRST      MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  135 

had  attracted  the  attention  of  other  passers,  who  were  peeping  in. 
We  perceived  a  soldier  striking  out  lustily  at  a  hospital  assistant 
on  either  hand,  each  of  whom  was  careful  to  keep  out  of  range,  at 
the  same  time  watching  his  opportunity  to  close  with  the  man. 
The  soldier  was  giving  vent  to  most  wrathful  utterances.  "  What 
would  they  do  with  the  man?"  we  asked  of  a  bystander.  "  Pull 
a  tooth,"  he  replied.  We  did  not  remain  to  witness  the  denoue 
ment.  One  would  have  thought  that  the  two  skirmishers  might 
have  endured  the  struggle  the  longer,  as  their  prospective  victim 
was  exhausting  his  vitality  by  strokes  in  the  air  and  abnormal 
exhalations.  But  the  poor  fellow  had  soon  an  opportunity  to  ex 
pend  any  surplus  energy  that  he  might  possess,  for  the  next  week, 
it  being  the  second  in  September,  we  moved  beyond  Culpepper, 
C.  H.,  near  where  Cedar  Creek  makes  its  way  to  the  Rapidan, 
through  pawpaw  bushes  and  other  small  wood  growth. 

We  were  now  well  on  the  right  of  the  main  line ;  if  an  advance 
were  contemplated,  we  should  be  in  the  van ;  if  a  retreat,  we  should 
share  the  honors  that  pertain  to  the  rear-guard  in  such  a  move 
ment. 

That  our  coming  here  was  only  the  commencement  of  a  more 
extensive  enterprise,  seemed  evident  from  shadows  cast  before,  or 
straws  which  indicated  the  course  of  the  wind.  For  example, 
cavalry  were  retiring  from  our  front  and  moving  by  our  right,  as 
if  anticipating  a  flank  movement  of  the  enemy.  Again,  sutlers 
were  ordered  to  Washington,  and  the  prudent  obeyed ;  but  not  a 
few  greedy  leeches  clung  to  the  body  of  the  army,  so  intent  upon 
absorbing  its  vitality  as  to  be  oblivious  to  repulse  ;  so  when  the 
long  Federal  line  moved  by  the  left  flank  along  the  line  of  rail 
road  between  the  Rappahannock  and  the  Rapidan,  Lee  having 
crossed  the  latter  river  and  moved  north,  these  fellows  were 
literally  on  a  hot  gridiron,  hopping  frantically  from  one  strip  to 
another.  It  is  a  long  plain  which  the  railroad  (and  we  followed 
its  course)  traverses  from  Culpepper  to  Rappahannock  Station. 
And  as  our  long  train,  moving  at  rapid  pace,  swept  over  the  great 
waste,  the  extortioners  were  now  sandwiching  themselves  between 
the  mess  and  company  wagons,  then,  being  ousted,  flying  timor 
ously  along  on  parallel  lines,  again  bouncing  into  a  gap  in  the 
train,  to  be  anon  swept  out  and  relegated  to  a  side-track. 


136  THE     STORY    OF     THE 

Every  one  seemed  instinctively  to  realize  that  we  were  making 
a  race  with  the  Confederates  for  Centreville.  How  did  we  know  ? 
No  one  could  tell.  How  did  we  know  time  and  again  our 
destination,  when  suddenly  set  in  motion  forward,  or  hurried  back 
to  retraverse  some  route?  And  how  was  it  that  nine  times  in  ten 
the  conjectures  or  predictions  of  the  rank  and  file,  as  to  the 
result  of  a  movement,  would  be  verified  or  fulfilled  ? 

It  was  an  exciting  race  ;  for  a  good  stretch  of  the  way,  past 
Brandy  Station,  we  sped,  sometimes  at  a  trot,  always  at  quickstep. 
It  must  have  been  past  noon  when  our  division,  in  the  rear  of  the 
long,  broad  phalanx,  neared  Rappahannock  Station,  by  Rappa- 
hannock  Ford. 

As  we  bowled  over  the  plain  to  the  bank,  we  came  up  with  and 
broadened  a  large  mass  of  troops  waiting  their  turn  to  cross  the 
pontoon  ;  the  river  was  not  fordable  at  this  time.  Away  over  the 
sea  of  plain  north  of  the  river  stretched  the  army  toward  Bealton, 
and  beyond  as  far  as  an  object  was  visible.  When  at  length, 
after  a  long  wait,  we  had  gained  the  north  bank,  and  were  in  the 
wake  of  the  procession  which  was  unmistakably  moving  on  Manas- 
sas,  the  booming  of  cannon  was  heard  in  the  northwest  as  at 
Warrenton.  The  head  of  our  column  must  beat  Warrenton  Junc 
tion,  nine  miles  to  the  southeast  or  beyond.  It  must  be  that 
Union  cavalry  and  horse  artillery  have  met  similar  Confederate 
troops  up  in  Fauquier,  these  bodies  being  between  their  respec 
tive  columns,  with  a  broad  interval  on  either  hand. 

The  rival  columns  appeared  to  have  made  equally  good  time. 
Now  the  Federal  commander  availed  himself  of  a  clever  piece  of 
strategy.  We  countermarched.  Our  division  became  the  head 
of  the  column  ;  we  were  soon  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  and 
were  rapidly  marching  toward  Brandy  Station,  as  though  bent 
upon  placing  ourselves  in  Lee's  rear.  Now  it  was  the  turn  of 
the  Confederate  column  to  countermarch,  and  back  it  turned,, 
making  progress  toward  Culpepper.  Now  the  pace  of  our  column 
is  slackened  perceptibly,  and  perhaps  twenty  minutes  of  slow 
movement  succeeded,  when  we  are  marched  right  about,  and  at 
double-quick  regain  the  river  and  recross  ;  and  the  whole  Federal 
army  is  on  the  wing  over  the  plain  and  along  the  line  of  the  great 
Midland  track,  having  gained  considerable  advantage  in  respect  to 
a  start  northward,  although  we  have  the  outside  track.  Now  was. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  137 

a  race  in  earnest  for  Centreville.  A  night  march,  dark  and 
chilly ;  the  sutlers  crawled  between  the  column  and  the  railroad 
track,  halting  when  the  procession  paused,  and  hastening  along 
when  it  was  again  in  motion,  persistently  wedging  themselves  into 
a  niche  when  one  presented  itself.  It  was  so  dark  that  one  could 
not  see  his  best  friend's  face,  but  he  could  hear  some  evil  genius 
asking  for  a  wrench, —  the  nuts  of  the  wheels  were  loose  ;  a  few 
moments  later,  a  cry  from  the  sutlers  that  they  were  breaking 
down  ;  and  one  heard  proffered  assistance  accepted,  then  shrieks 
and  denunciations.  Somebody  was  expressing  disgust  that  a  box 
contained  " jacks"  which  he  supposed  filled  with  tobacco. 
Another  complacently  fondled  a  cheese.  Thus  was  avarice  pun 
ished,  but  morals  meanwhile  corrupted.  How  we  crossed  Broad 
Run  beyond  Bristow,  passed  Manassas  and  over  Bull  Run  and 
climbed  to  the  summit  of  Centreville,  the  All-seeing  eye  alone 
perceived.  We  were  arrayed  upon  the  height  in  the  morning, 
and  retained  the  position  during  that  day  and  the  following 
night. 

On  the  morrow  after  we  marched  south,  along  the  Warrenton  pike, 
crossed  Bull  Run  by  the  Stone  Bridge,  and  pushed  on  to  Gaines 
ville  on  the  Manassas  Gap  road ;  here  a  locomotive  was  standing 
facing  the  gap ;  it  had  probably  brought  cars  with  some  supplies, 
possibly  some  men,  from  Alexandria,  switching  off  at  Manassas 
Junction.  The  enemy  must  have  paused  somewhere  along  their 
line  of  march,  for  after  a  very  brief  halt  we  marched  along  the 
pike  to  New  Baltimore. 

As  at  noon  we  rode  into  this  decayed  hamlet,  and  rested  a 
moment  at  the  junction  of  the  pike  with  the  road  that  leads  over 
the  mountains  from  White  Plains,  whence  we  came  a  year  ago, 
memory  reverted  to  our  departure  from  this  place  in  1862,  for 
Fredericksburg,  and  rapidly  reviewed  the  thrilling  history  of  that 
eventful  year.  What  a  long  oval  with  a  diameter  of  a  hundred 
miles  we  had  described  since  then  !  We  had  left  comrades  at 
many  a  point  in  the  curve,  because  of  disease  or  death. 

We  halted  an  hour  south  of  the  village  on  the  east  side  of  the 
pike,  nibbled  some  hardtack,  and  speculated  upon  the  events  of 
the  morrow.  There  was  a  very  general  dearth  of  tobacco  in  the 
ranks,  and  the  commissioned  officers  who  used  pipes  were  not 
seen  to  take  them  from  their  pockets  ;  it  was  ardently  hoped  that 


138  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

some  of  the  fragrant  leaf   might  be  found   in  Warrenton.     We 
were  not  disappointed. 

****** 

The  morning  after  our  arrival  at  Warrenton  was  the  beginning 
of  a  typical  Indian  summer  day  ;  the  air  was  delightfully  exhilarat 
ing.  After  water-call  and  stable-duty  we  hurried  into  the  village, 
and  found  in  the  basement  of  a  tavern  a  man  in  a  gray  coat  deal 
ing  out  figs  of  tobacco  among  a  swarm  of  blue  coats,  who  gave 
him  great  trouble  to  make  change.  It  was  "first  come,  first 
served,"  and  there  was  considerable  crowding,  but  we  secured 
forty  hands,  which  were  soon  distributed  in  camp  to  the  satisfac 
tion  of  those  who  received  them.  Others  having  found  the 
source  of  supply,  there  was  a  general  relighting  of  pipes,  and  a 
marked  decrease  of  nervousness.  This  episode  is  only  a  vagary,  — 
a  whimsical  incident  of  our  return  to  the  peninsula  between 
the  Rappahannock  and  the  Rapidan.  Stern  experience  was  in 
store  for  us,  of  a  color  like  that  already  realized,  but  with  new 
features.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  made  its  last  retreat 
when  it  finally  crossed  these  rivers.  The  Confederate  army,  retir 
ing  behind  the  Rappahannock  in  our  front,  left  a  detachment  of 
Hoke's  brigade  in  an  earthwork  on  the  north  side  on  the  plain, 
which  could  be  approached  on  the  run  from  the  rising  ground  to 
the  northwest  by  an  attacking  force.  These  brave  men  were  to 
dispute  the  Federal  crossing  at  this  point  just  above  Rappahan 
nock  Station,  —  a  forlorn  hope,  indeed.  Russell's  brigade  of 
Wright's  division  of  the  Sixth  Corps  carried  the  earthworks, 
Saturday,  November  7.  The  stubborn  resistance  of  that  devoted 
band  was  sublime  in  its  hopelessness  ;  they  would  not  surrender. 

Sunday  morning,  those  who  did  not  escape  lay  in  mathematically 
straight  rows  with  their  feet  to  the  north  ;  now  a  bayonet  thrust 
in  one's  breast,  or  a  fracture  of  the  skull  as  from  a  clubbed 
musket.  The  countenances  of  these  dead  were  stamped  with  an 
expression  of  ^rim  resolution,  which  was  unmistakably  the  seal 
of  the  courage  of  despair.  The  gallantry  of  the  Federal  brigade 
was  duly  noticed  by  General  Meade,  and  its  wounded  commander, 
Gen.  Russell,  was  selected  to  bear  the  captured  battle-flags  to 
Washington.  (See  Appendix.) 

Crossing  the  Rappahannock,  we  marched  up  the  peninsula  to 
the  farm  of  John  Minor  Botts,  and  made  a  camp  north  of  Brandy 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  139 

Station,  perhaps  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  mill  on  Hazel 
River.  Recollections  of  this  camp  will  be  vivid,  because  it  was 
the  point  of  departure  for  the  Mine  Run  expedition,  the  winter 
reconnoissance  to  Robinson's  River,  the  memorable  passing  in 
review  before  General  Grant,  and  for  the  entry  upon  the  campaign 
of  1864  that  culminated  in  the  siege  of  Petersburg.  These  were 
the  central  and  prominent  features  of  our  career  during  the  fall 
and  winter  of  1863,  and  the  spring  of  1864  ;  with  what  a  tissue  of 
reminiscences  may  the  groundwork  be  clothed  around  and  among 
them !  Camp  architecture  at  this  place  attained  a  degree  of 
perfection  never  before  equalled,  whether  exemplified  in  privates' 
quarters,  officers'  abodes,  chapels,  or  depots.  We  recollect  a  fac 
simile  of  an  omnibus  without  wheels,  which  two  comrades,  who 
have  since  gone  over  to  the  majority,  cunningly  constructed  for 
their  winter  residence ;  also  the  commodious  chapel  of  the  Third 
Vermont,  of  our  division,  which  was  also  lyceum  and  lecture  hall, 
and  of  which  more  anon. 

How  thick  the  crows*  were  in  this  section  !  As  we  used  to  ride 
every  day  to  Hazel  River,  the  fellows  would  throw  out  vedettes 
in  a  scanty  line  next  us  as  we  approached,  behind  which  would 
be  a  somewhat  more  compact  line,  and  some  distance  in  its  rear 
would  be  their  main  body.  Their  pickets  would  saucily  wait  our 
approach,  and  as  we  neared  them  one  would  give  a  signal,  "  Caw  ! " 
as  he  arose  from  the  ground ;  this  would  be  echoed  in  the  other 
lines,  and  away  flew  the  whole  army.  • 

Speaking  of  Hazel  River,  some  of  the  boys  had  the  opportunity 
of  noting  the  temperature  of  its  waters  during  the  season  ;  some 
of  the  horses,  hide-bound  perhaps,  since  their  flesh  seemed  to  itch, 
as  they  manifested  an  insatiable  desire  to  always  lie  down  in  the 
river  when  driven  in,  would  gratify  that  passion,  as  soon  as  they 
had  attained  sufficient  depth  to  handily  immerse  their  drivers. 
Any  sympathy  that  the  comrade  drivers  undoubtedly  had  for  the 
chilled  ones  was  tempered  with  such  chaffing  as  :  "  Well !  you 
have  washed  yourself  for  once  !  You  have  had  one  good  bath  !  " 

The  stable  this  season  had  some  strongly  marked  equine  char 
acters,  some  execrable  brutes  with  swell  foreheads,  wall-eyes,  and 
heels  that  flew  toward  all  points  of  the  compass,  without  warning. 
Some  of  them  were  decidedly  cannibalistic,  since  they  would  dart 
forward  and  bite  a  man  who  might  be  unconsciously  within  reach, 


140  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

sometimgs  fixing  their  teeth  in  his  arm,  sometimes  in  his  leg, 
generally,  however,  preferring  his  scalp.  There  was  one  fellow, 
known  as  "  Old  Joe  Hooker,"  who  was  beyond  comparison  the 
most  sensitive  horse  we  ever  saw.  He  would  tremble  with  rage 
if  a  finger  were  pointed  at  him.  One  day,  one  of  our  lieutenants 
was  showing  the  horses  to  visiting  officers  ;  he  innocently  called 
attention  to  "  Hooker,"  accompanying  the  movement  of  his  finger 
with  some  complimentary  remark  concerning  the  beast,  when 
"  Old  Joe  "  darted  forward,  ears  thrown  back,  mouth  open,  teeth 
set,  and  eyes  flashing.  The  trio  of  officers  jumped  back  more  than 
Joe's  length,  for,  failing  to  taste  of  them,  he  would  present  his  heels. 

There  was  one  large  black  horse  which  never  allowed  the 
blacksmith  to  lift  his  hoof  while  he  was  standing  upon  the  other 
three.  It  was  necessary,  when  the  smith  would  shoe  this  horse, 
to  cast  the  animal ;  one  day  the  blacksmith,  procuring  the  aid  of 
a  half  dozen  men,  proceeded  to  strap  up  one  of  the  fore  legs  of  the 
beast,  having  fixed  a  twister  upon  his  nose  and  a  collar  upon  his 
neck.  Then  the  smith  passed  a  rope  from-  the  halter,  through  the 
collar,  back  to  the  horse's  hind  legs,  taking  a  turn  of  the  rope  round 
one  of  them.  As  soon  as  this  ingenious  device  was  perfected, 
one  man  holding  the  twister  and  the  halter  shank,  another  was  to 
pull  on  the  rope  which  passed  around  the  horse's  hind  leg  ;  the 
horse  would  naturally  lift  the  other  hind  leg,  and  one  fore  leg 
being  strapped  up,  inevitably  the  horse  would  fall  prone  upon  the 
ground  ;  the  half  dozen  auxiliaries  were  then  to  pounce  upon  him 
and  hold  him  to  the  earth.  The  scheme  worked  with  complete 
success.  The  men  were  seated  comfortably  upon  the  body  of  the 
horse,  watching  the  smith  as  he  fitted  the  shoe. 

After  a  while,  however,  the  novelty  of  the  situation  wearing  off, 
the  men  carelessly  relaxed  their  hold  ;  the  horse,  instinctively  per 
ceiving  his  opportunity,  speedily  arose,  dexterously  scattering  the 
blacksmith  and  his  tools,  together  with  the  smith's  six  assistants. 
The  athletic  fellow  then  stood  upon  the  spot  where  he  had  just 
lain  prostrate,  and  gazed  disdainfully  upon  his  discomfited  assail 
ants.  It  was  necessary  to  repeat  the  experiment,  and  the  assis 
tants  had  to  exercise  unremitting  vigilance  until  the  last  nail  was 
driven. 

While  thus  alluding  to  the  humors  of  the  camp  at  Brandy 
Station,  it  occurs  to  us  to  notice  the  curious  mistakes  that  would 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  14! 

arise  in  conversation  between  parties,  who,  coming  from  different 
sections  of  our  great  country,  spoke  the  peculiar  dialect  of  the 
Northern,  Middle,  or  Western  States. 

One  of  our  comrades,  named  M ,  was  of  French  Canadian 

extraction.  He  was  on  the  sick-list,  because  of  chronic  diarrhoea. 

O ,  the  surgeon,  who  was  of  Teutonic  origin,  and  who  hailed 

from  one  of  the  Middle  States,  said  one  morning:  "M ,  vat 

state  your  bowels  vas  in  dis  morn?"  M ,  who  had  much 

deference  for  the  doctor,  replied  :  "Orange  County,  New  York, 
sir." 

As  November  of  1863  wore  away,  the  opinion  gained  ground 
among  the  rank  and  file  that  we  were  fixed  for  the  winter,  and  we 
presume  that  this  was  the  tenor  of  the  story  that  comrades' 
letters  bore  to  their  loved  ones  at  home ;  but  Gen.  Meade, 
knowing  that  Longstreet  had  been  detached  for  service  in  East 
Tennessee,  and  counting  upon  a  material  depletion  of  the  force 
then  beyond  the  Rapidan,  led  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  across 
that  river  on  the  26th  of  the  month. 

During  the  severe  cold  weather  of  this  period,  some  of  our 
command  were  either  on  guard  or  on  the  march  every  night 
during  the  eight  days  that  elapsed  between  our  departure  from 
this  camp  until  we  recrossed  at  Germanna  Ford. 


142  THE     STORY     OF    THE 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


AT  eleven  o'clock  on  the  26th  of  November,  our  corps,  having 
been  delayed  since  sunrise  in  the  midst  of  the  Third  Corps 
camps  at  Brandy  Station  (that  command  having  been  ordered  to 
precede  us),  moved  with  slow  and  tedious  steps  toward  Jacob's  Ford 
on  the  Rapidan.  The  movement  was  of  that  peculiarly  irritating 
character  which  can  only  be  appreciated  by  those  who  have 
experienced  the  effect  of  being  prodded  on  through  tanglewood, 
brush,  and  briar,  and  then  suddenly  pulled  up  standing,  hungry, 
and  cold,  pushed  forward  anon,  and  again  checked  ;  have  stood 
wearily  in  the  bleak,  wintry  wind,  longing  for  exercise  that  would 
quicken  circulation,  then  advanced  fifty  feet  to  make  another  dull, 
chilled  halt  for  minutes  that  the  imagination  made  hours.  This 
was  the  routine  till  eleven  p.  M.  Then  through  the  infantry 
column  rang  the  cry  of  "  Coffee,  coffee  !"  The  forest  echoed  the 
shout.  It  was  hungry  nature's  appeal.  The  forest  furnished  the 
fuel,  and  during  the  next  quarter  of  an  hour  the  shadows  of  the 
trees  were  luminous  with  the  glint  and  gleam  of  thousands  of 
bonfires,  the  air  was  redolent  of  the  mingled  odor  of  commissary 
coffee  and  the  fumes  of  dry  brushwood.  At  midnight  we  crossed 
the  bridge,  part  pontoon,  part  poles,  and  before  one  o'clock,  save 
the  guards,  the  boys  were  stretched  upon  the  damp  ground,  as 
happily  oblivious  of  the  November  frost  as  if  in  their  cabins. 

Early  on  the*  2/th,  the  Third  Corps  resumed  the  advance,  and 
the  Sixth,  pursuant  of  orders  on  the  previous  day,  was  in  line  of 
march  to  follow  the  Third.  Both  were  to  proceed  to  Robertson's 
Tavern  on  the  Orange  plank  road,  seven  miles  from  this  crossing, 
southwest.  The  First,  Fifth,  and  Second  Corps,  having  crossed 
the  river  before  noon  on  the  26th,  were  already  in  assigned  posi 
tions,  occupying  a  line  that  extended  east  and  southeast  from  and 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  143 

beyond  Robinson's  Tavern.  Now  as  the  Third  Corps  advanced, 
picket  firing,  and  an  occasional  cannonade,  told  us  that  this 
command  had  found  the  way  obstructed.  Indeed,  it  seems  that 
the  leading  division  of  the  corps  had  mistaken  the  road  to  the 
tavern,  having  borne  too  far  to  the  west ;  at  any  rate,  lively 
skirmishing  commenced,  in  which  the  corps  was  employed  until 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon.  Then  the  engagement  became 
general.  The  First  and  Second  Divisions  of  the  Sixth  Corps  with 
their  artillery  were  sent  to  the  support  of  the  Third  Corps,  which 
was  vigorously  pressed.  The  air  in  the  woods  was  thick  with  the 
smoke  of  battle,  and  the  trees  echoed  the  din  of  musket  shot  and 
cannon  peal,  as  the  Sixth  moved  into  the  gap  between  the  Second 
and  Third  Corps.  A  dense  second  growth  of  timber  effectually 
precluded  any  view  of  the  operations  in  the  Third  or  the  Second, 
but  it  enabled  Confederate  scouting  parties  to  creep  unperceived 
upon  our  flanks.  Not  a  shot,  however,  was  fired  by  us  after 
reaching  this  position,  though  the  Third  Corps  repeatedly  repulsed 
determined  charges  upon  its  lines. 

No  demonstration  was  made  in  our  front.  The  Second  Corps 
and  Gen.  Gregg's  cavalry  were  engaged  near  the  tavern.  The 
former  drove  back,  under  cover  of  the  woods,  a  comparatively 
small  force  of  assailants.  Gen.  Gregg  was  equally  successful  in 
putting  to  flight  the  body  of  Confederates  which  he  encountered. 
This  plan  of  Gen.  Meade,  of  crossing  the  fords  of  the  Rapidan 
which  Gen.  Lee  had  left  uncovered,  and  pushing  his  force  between 
those  of  Ewell  and  Hill,  which  Lee,  relying  upon  the  great  natural 
strength  of  his  position  on  the  west  side  of  Mine  Run,  had  de 
ployed  respectively  along  the  Orange,  C.  H.,  road  and  the  railroad 
to  Charlottesville  for  miles,  was  bold  in  its  conception,  and  skil 
fully  devised  in  its  details.  The  First  and  Fifth  Corps,  crossing  at 
Culpepper  Mine  Ford,  were  to  move  along  the  plank  road  to 
Parker's  Store.  The  Second,  crossing  at  Germanna,  was  to  march 
along  the  wilderness  pike  to  Robinson's  Tavern,  where  the  Third 
and  Sixth  were  to  join  it.  Here  was  to  rest  the  right  of  the 
Federal  line. 

Gen.  Meade  might  fairly  estimate  that  an  early  start  on  the 
26th  would  enable  the  corps  to  reach  their  assigned  positions  on 
the  noon  of  the  following  day.  The  Sixth  Corps  was  en  route  at 
sunrise  ;  it  was  ordered  to  follow  the  Third.  Who  might  be  respon- 


144  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

sible  for  the  delay  of  that  corps,  which  had  not  left  its  camps  on 
our  arrival  at  Brandy  Station  ?  It  is  not  our  province  to  determine  ; 
nor  is  any  criticism  implied  upon  that  gallant  command  which 
bore  the  whole  burden  of  the  conflict,  with  the  divisions  of  Ewell's 
corps  at  Locust  Grove,  and  lost  400  brave  men.  But  pursuing 
the  wrong  road  after  leaving  the  Rapidan,  brought  the  right  into 
collision  with  Ewell's  corps,  disastrously  conflicting  with  the 
plans  of  Gen.  Meade,  for  it  enabled  the  Confederate  commander 
to  fathom  the  designs  of  his  adversary,  and  withdraw  his  outlying 
corps  behind  Mine  Run.  Here  he  was  found  on  the  28th,  occupy 
ing  probably  one  of  the  strongest  positions  that  he  ever  selected 
during  the  war. 

****** 

During  the  night  of  the  2/th,  we  marched  to  Robinson's  Tav 
ern  ;  the  air  was  extremely  cold,  the  mud  deep  and  plastic.  With 
Sunday  morning  came  a  pelting  November  rain,  during  which 
brigades,  regiments,  and  batteries  were  moving  from  east  to 
west,  and  from  west  to  east,  now  exposed  to  the  bullets  of  Confed 
erate  skirmishers,  now  moving  to  the  rear  out  of  range, —  all  this 
incidental  to  the  formation  of  the  Federal  line  of  battle  through 
the  wilderness  of  scraggy  wood  of  the  plateau,  on  the  east  side  of 
the  gulf,  through  which  Mine  Run  makes  its  way  between  marshy 
banks.  The  Confederate  army  on  the  west  side  of  the  gulf  ex 
tended  north  and  south  for  six  miles,  along  the  crest  of  a  ridge, 
this  position  being  more  or  less  masked,  like  that  of  the  Federals, 
by  thickets  of  second  growth. 

Saturday  night,  the  28th  of  November,  was  spent  by  both  par 
ties  in  intrenching  and  strengthening  their  respective  positions, 
the  exercise  being  agreeable  on  account  of  the  severity  of  the 
weather.  In  the  morning  it  was  possible  to  obtain  glimpses  of 
parallel  and  ascending  lines  of  earthworks  on  the  western  side  of 
the  gulf. 

Arrangements  for  the  assault  seemed  not  yet  to  be  perfected. 
Sunday  afternoon  we  moved  from  our  position  in  the  centre  to  one 
which  confronted  the  enemy's  left.  We  marched  three  miles 
through  the  pines  and  scrub  oaks,  and  finally  took  position  upon 
the  extreme  right  of  the  line.  Sunday  night  found  our  lines  sat 
isfactorily  established.  Gen.  Warren,  with  his  Fifth  Corps,  sup 
ported  by  two  divisions  of  the  Third  Corps  and  the  Third  Division 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  145 

of  the  Sixth,  held  the  Union  left.  Gen.  French,  with  the  remainder 
of  the  Third,  and  the  Second  Corps,  the  centre  ;  Gen.  Sedgwick  with 
his  Sixth  Corps,  the  right,  and  the  Third  Brigade  of  the  Second 
Division  of  our  corps,  consisting  of  the  Seventh  Maine,  Forty- 
third,  Forty-ninth,  and  Seventy-seventh  New  York,  and  Sixty- 
first  Pennsylvania,  was  the  right  of  Sedgwick's  infantry  line, 
and  our  company  was  the  right  battery  of  the  light  artillery 
of  Sedgwick's  corps.  Our  appproach  to  this  place  had  been 
carefully  concealed,  and  elevated  ground  in  our  front  hid  us 
from  the  view  of  the  enemy,  who  were  within  range  of 
our  smooth-bores.  Silence  was  enjoined  upon  the  men  of  our 
command  ;  it  was  forbidden  to  light  fires,  and  that  night  a  major 
ity  of  the  boys  of  the  various  corps  were  in  active  exercise,  that 
the  blood  might  not  congeal  in  their  veins.  On  Monday  morning 
every  Union  soldier  knew  that  an  assault  upon  the  Confederate 
position  meant  a  frightful  sacrifice  of  human  life,  but  no  man 
hesitated.  The  First  Massachusetts  Battery  opened  the  ball  on 
the  extreme  right,  and  soon  the  thunder  of  Sedgwick's  artillery 
was  heard  by  the  other  sections  of  the  Federal  line.  Nearly  an 
hour  had  the  right  been  engaged,  yet  no  sound  had  escaped  the 
left.  Gen.  Warren  had  examined  the  Confederate  position  in  his 
front,  and  finding  that  it  had  been  so  strengthened  during  the 
night  as  to  render  it  certain  that  an  attack  upon  it  would  result 
in  the  useless  slaughter  of  the  larger  portion  of  his  command,  he 
assumed  the  responsibility  of  suspending  the  attack  until  Gen. 
Meade  arrived,  whose  survey  of  the  situation  caused  him  to 
approve  the  course  of  Gen.  Warren.  We  were  ordered  to  cease 
firing. 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

Then  followed  the  night  retreat  of  the  2d  of  December,  in  the 
earlier  part  of  which  men  would  leap  from  their  horses  to  put 
their  numbed  feet  into  the  blazing  fires  along  the  line  of  march, 
and  in  the  latter  part  were  dozing  in  the  saddle,  having  suc 
cumbed  to  fatigue. 
10 


146  THE     STORY     OF     THE 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


ONCE  more  established  in  winter  quarters,  the  boys  knew 
how  to  extract  all  the  comfort  and  enjoyment  of  which  the 
situation  was  susceptible  ;  the  leisure  intervals  occurring  between 
times  of  regular  camp  duty,  were  employed  by  many  in  reading ; 
papers,  magazines,  and  books  found  their  way  to  Brandy  Station, 
furnishing  pastime  or  food  for  reflection,  according  to  the  tastes 
and  habits  of  the  readers.  In  two  neighboring  regiments, 
the  men  had  erected  commodious  chapels,  the  walls  of  logs 
and  the  roof  of  stanch  canvas.  These  halls  had  each  sufficient 
capacity  to  comfortably  seat  a  regiment,  and  yet  allow  ample 
aisles  and  space  around  the  speaker's  desk.  That  built  by  the 
Third  Vermont,  which  was  right  beyond  our  park  of  guns,  was 
the  weekly  scene  of  devotional  exercises  and  preaching,  and  on 
Wednesday  evening,  we  believe,  of  each  week  between  Decem 
ber  and  February,  for  a  series  of  secular  lectures  by  some 
chaplains  of  this  corps.  We  were  always  heartily  welcome  to 
attend  any  and  all  services  therein  ;  and  we  have  pleasurable  rec 
ollections  of  the  inimitable  charm  which  pervaded  the  serio-comic 
discourse  of  Chaplain  Bugle,  of  Rhode  Island,  who  entertained  us 
with  a  description  and  revelations  of  "  Broad  Top  City,"  and  the 
eloquently  instructive  lecture  of  Chaplain  Perkins,  of  Massachu 
setts.  Nor  do  we  forget  the  spirited  debates  to  which  we  used  to 
listen,  in  the  chapel  of  the  Sixth  Vermont. 

****** 

The  alertness  and  suppleness  of  many  of  our  boys  was  some 
thing  wonderful  ;  it  was  a  spectacle  suggestive  of  the  athletic  times 
of  Greece  and  Rome,  to  witness  their  leaping,  sparring,  and  racing. 

****** 

We  had  a  half  dozen  men  whose  power  of  mimicry,  conjoined 
with  large  mirthfulness,  we  have  never  seen  surpassed.  The 


FIRST    MASSACHVSFTTS    LIGHT    BATTERY. 

effect  of  their  display  of  this  power,  after  the  five  o'clock  roll-call, 

was  such  as  to  tryingly  exercise  the  intercostal  muscles  of  the 

spectators.     The  familiar  demon  of  the  camp  at  this  hour,  was 

•«  Laughter,  holding  both  his  sides." 

*  *  *  *  *  .  * 

Vocalists  we  had,  each  with  his  special  repertory  of  songs  ;  and 
we  had  also  a  good  strong  chorus,  to  support  each  artist  Nor 
was  anecdotal  talent  wanting.  Talk  about  forecastle  yarns ! 
One  should  have  heard  those  which  were  so  deftly  spun  by  our 
camp  kitchen  fire, 

*  *  *        %       *  *  * 

The  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-four  was  duly 
heralded  by  our  comrades  who  kept  watch  on  the  night  of  the  5ist 
o£  December,  and  by  the  sentries  who  had  the  second  relief.  The 
rattle  of  the  turning  of  new  leaves  awoke  the  sleepers,  who  speedily 
wet  their  fingers  and  turned  down  the  last  old  page,  January  rolled 
to  eternity,  leaving  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  still  on  the  plains  of 
Culpepper  County.  In  February  we  went  on  a  reconnoissance  to 
Robinson's  River  in  Madison  County,  seventeen  or  eighteen  miles 
out  on  the  right  flank  of  our  army.  We  were  absent  four  days, 
having  no  remarkable  adventure,  but  bivouacking  at  the  river  in 
a  storm  of  sleet  which  turned  to  rain,  which  soaked  hoots,  har- 
-es,  and  tarpaulins.  The  frost  which  followed  rendered  them 
quite  clumsy  for  use.  Gen,  Custer  drove  back  a  force  of  cavalry 
which  he  encountered  beyond  Robinson's  River. 

We  made  the  return  march  in  a  day,  arriving  in  camp  at  sun- 
|  down.    The  sun  shining  bright  and  warm,  its  heat  thawed  out 
?•  and  dried  our  clothing,  boots,  harnesses,  and  blankets,  and  the 
afternoon  march  was  a  pleasant  journey.     We  remember  passing 
through  a  quaint  hamlet,  called  James  City,  to  the  west  of  Cul 
pepper,   C.  H.,  and  we  remember  seeing,  as  we  drew  near  to 
Brandy  Station,  a   venerable,    hale  old  man   standing  on  the 
piazza  of  his  house.     Here  he  stood  once  upon  a  time,  when  there 
no  considerable  number  of  troops  in  that  vicinity,  and  being 
accosted  by  a  Federal  cavalry  officer,  who  had  never  seer 
before,  and  who  asked  him  which  way  a  squadron  of  Confederate 
cavalry  had  gone,  he  replied  :  *•  Sir,  my  name  is  John  Minor  Botts, 
I  as  good  a  Union  man  as  there  is  in  this  country ;  but  I  am  under 


148  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

parole  to  the  Confederate  government,  not  to  communicate  any 
information  upon  either  hand." 

****** 

One  evening,  after  "retreat"  (5  o'clock,  p.  M.  ),  in  March, 
orders  of  the  war  department,  with  reference  to  re-enlistment, 
were  read,  and  the  inducements  which  were  offered  to  veteran 
volunteers  were  fully  presented.  Massachusetts  soldiers  who 
might  re-enlist  would  receive  $325,  state  bounty,  $402  offered 
by  the  general  government,  and  each  man  would  also  receive  the 
one  hundred  dollars  which  was  promised  him  at  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  enlistment.  His  term  would  be  considered  to  expire 
at  the  moment  that  he  should  be  mustered  as  a  veteran.  Each 
man  who  should  re-enlist  was  to  have  thirty-five  days'  furlough. 
This  supplementary  offer  was  the  controlling  influence  which 
effected  the  immediate  re-enlistment  of  our  boys,  who  doubtless, 
without  other  incentive  than  the  patriotism  which  prompted 
them  to  volunteer,  the  most  of  them,  at  the  first  call  ( three 
months  ),  would  have  joined  the  service  again  at  the  expiration 
of  their  term.  In  the  chapter  supplementary  to  our  main  narra 
tive,  we  shall  speak  of  the  later  experience  of  these  brave  men, 
serving  in  other  commands,  and  drop  a  tear  for  the  lamented 
comrades  who  fell  at  Cedar  Creek. 

****** 

When  the  company  broke  ranks  after  "  retreat,"  a  considerable 
number  of  the  boys  assembled  around  the  cook-house  fire  to 
discuss  the  "inducements."  Opinions  naturally  varied  somewhat, 
but  the  preponderance  of  verbal  expression  of  view  was  in  favor 
of  early  re-enlistment. 

After  a  goodly  number  of  our  most  fluent  comrades  had 
ventilated  their  views,  both  from  the  economic  and  the  patriotic 
standpoints,  there  was  a  brief  lull  in  the  conversation.  One  of  our 
comrades,  who  was  a  humorist  of  the  first  water,  had  been  silent 
from  the  first,  but  his  prominent  nose,  which  at  the  end  had  the 
faculty  of  turning  to  the  right  and  left,  and  which  was  eloquently 
expressive  of  certain  emotions,  had  been  actively  commenting 
upon  the  arguments  which  had  been  offered  upon  the  economic 
side  (for  there  were  none  more  patriotic  than  he).  He  walked  up 
to  a  meat  block,  and  daintily  lifting  one  of  several  pieces  of  rankly 
fat  pork  which  lay  thereon,  upon  the  point  of  a  huge  carving- 


:  ARMY  CROSSING  THE  RAPIDAN.      GRANT  WRITING  HIS  DESPATCH. 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  149 

knife,  his  nose  and  his   tongue  said,    "  There  is  inducement  to 
re-enlist." 

****** 

During  this  month,  March,  1864,  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant,  commander 
of  the  Union  armies,  took  up  his  headquarters  with  Gen.  Meade. 
The  whole  army,  soon  after  his  arrival,  passed  in  review  before 
the  renowned  captain,  Gen.  Meade  being  by  his  side,  pointing 
out  to  the  self-contained,  silent  soldier  the  various  corps,  and  the 
commands  of  which  they  were  composed.  It  was  an  inspiring 
spectacle,  the  steady  movement  of  the  veteran  corps  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  which  were  thenceforth  to  proceed  from  victory  to 
victory,  passing  under  the  eyes  of  the  captains  of  Vicksburg  and 

Gettysburg. 

*  *  *  .    *  *  * 

At  midnight,  May  3-4,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  broke  camp. 
The  Fifth  and  Sixth  Corps,  forming  the  right,  crossed  at 
Germanna  Ford.  It  was  a  novel  sight  to  see  heavy  trains 
crossing  a  bridge  of  canvas  pontoons  ;  but  the  driveway  was  as 
firm  as  that  over  the  heavy  wooden  bateaux  on  which  we  had 
crossed  in  December.  The  cavalry,  under  Sheridan,  and  the 
Second  Corps,  Gen.  Hancock,  crossed  six  miles  below. 

Before  sundown,  the  army  was  in  position  in  the  Wilderness. 
This  was  the  gold  region  of  old  Virginia,  a  country  of  low  hills 
with  underlying  quartzite  rock,  the  timber  having  been  cut  off  to 
feed  the  smelting  and  reducing  furnaces.  'A  thick  and  tangled 
second  growth  of  pine  and  other  trees  had  sprung  up  in  the  clay 
soil  of  this  section.  It  is  a  country  very  difficult  in  which  to 
control  the  movements  of  a  large  army.  Artillery  c'an  be  used  to 
little  advantage  in  this  section,  and,  indeed,  the  battle  of  the 
Wilderness  (proper)  was  essentially  an  infantry  engagement. 
At  six  o'clock,  Gen.  Grant  ordered  an  advance  the  next  morning  ; 
and  early  on  the  following  day,  the  Confederates  also  being 
in  motion,  the  Fifth  Corps  and  the  advance  of  Lee's  army  met, 
some  25,000  men  being  engaged  ;  now  the  desperate  campaign, 
which  culminated  in  the  battle  at  the  North  Anna,  commenced. 

The  Sixth  Corps  was  soon  in  line  ;  at  intervals  during  the  day, 
others  of  the  opposing  columns  participated  in  the  fight  with  much 
bravery,  and  with  much  loss  of  life.  Toward  evening,  there  was 
a  furious  attack  on  the  extreme  right  of  our  corps ;  our  company 


I5O  THE    STORY    OF    THE 

wheeled  into  position.  Gen.  Sedgwick,  riding  down  between 
our  guns,  rallied  and  reformed  our  infantry  line,  and  hurled  back 
the  enemy.  The  Ninth  Army  Corps  arrived  during  the  night  of 
the  5th  of  May ;  and  it  is  said  that  Longstreet's  corps  on  the 
other  side  also  reached  the  field.  The  battle  was  renewed  with 
vigor  at  dawn.  There  were  shifting  movements  and  attacks  all 
day  long,  much  loss  of  life,  but  an  indecisive  engagement  from 
the  standpoint  of  either  contestant ;  we  remember  that  about  five 
o'clock  there  was  a  considerable  number  of  Confederate  prisoners 
within  an  enclosure  bounded  by  a  picket-rope;  this  was  to  the  rear 
and  left  of  us  ;  a  Confederate  charge,  with  the  characteristic  yell, 
was  made  in  their  front,  and  the  boys  in  butternut  suits  within  the 
picket-rope  set  up  a  responsive  yell,  which  was  somewhat  dis 
agreeable,  not  to  say  exasperating,  so  that,  in  the  excitement  of 
the  moment,  some  one  shouted  to  the  guard,  "  Bring  your  guns  to 
bear  upon  them  !  "  The  guard  had  sufficient  sense  to  perceive  the 
foolish  excitability  of  the  speaker. 

During  the  night  of  the  6th,  the  line  was  intrenched,  and  all 
day  on  the  yth,  the  position  of  our  force  was  unchanged.  Both 
armies  were  evidently  sufficiently  exhausted  to  preclude  a  renewal 
of  hostilities.  These  hours  of  inaction  were  only  the  calm  before 
a  storm,  or  a  breathing  spell,  during  which  the  combatants  tacitly 
agreed  to  briefly  relax  their  hold,  that  they  might  renew  it  with 
fresh  advantage. 

After  dark,  we  were  again  in  motion  by  the  left  flank  for  a  way, 
and  then  by  the  right ;  in  brief,  we  marched  to  the  east,  and  then 
south.  If  the  Confederate  commander  anticipated  a  retrograde 
movement  on  our  part,  such  as  he  had  become  somewhat  familiar 
with,  and  had  thrown  any  troops  toward  Germanna  Ford,  it  would 
only  show  that  he  had  yet  to  learn  the  tactics  of  Gen.  Grant ;  for 
the  great  Federal  commander  led  his  army  by  and  beyond  the 
right  of  the  Confederate  force,  and  advanced  ten  miles  farther 
south.  Incidentally  he  secured  a  short  base  of  supplies  by  way  of 
Fredericksburg ;  and  it  is  fitting  to  notice  at  this  juncture  the 
wonderful  capacity  of  the  great  general  to  grasp  and  provide  for 
the  minute  details  of  the  gigantic  task  that  had  been  allotted  to 
him.  We  received  three  days'  rations  on  leaving  Brandy  Station, 
and  at  the  end  of  each  day  and  a  half  received  three  days'  more, 
until,  we  believe,  we  arrived  at  Cold  Harbor.  That  is  to  say,  hav- 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  15! 

ing  cut  himself  loose  from  his  base  of  supplies,  burning  his 
bridges  behind  him,  he  was  able,  by  a  wonderful  foresight,  to  so 
direct  the  management  of  the  commissiarat,  that,  during  a  cam 
paign  of  unusual  severity  of  twenty-one  days,  double  rations  were 
given  out  to  the  soldiers. 

When  Gen.  Lee  saw  the  purpose  of  the  Federal  movement 
he  hastened  forward,  having  the  advantage  of  a  shorter  route. 
When  the  Fifth  Corps,  the  Federal  advance,,  reached  the  vicinity 
of  Spottsylvania,  C.  H.,  the  van  of  the  Confederates  was  at  that 
place.  Our  cavalry  occupied  it  early  on  the  morning  of  the  8th, 
but  was  compelled  to  retire  before  the  advance  of  the  Confeder 
ate  infantry.  The  Fifth  Corps  forced  back  the  advancing  infantry, 
until  it  found  itself  opposed  by  a  solid  line  of  battle,  evidently 
the  front  of  the  main  body  of  the  enemy.  Now  followed  severe 
fighting. 

It  was  past  noon  when  the  Sixth  Corps  crossed  the  tributary 
of  the  Mattapony,  beyond  which  the  Fifth  was  contending  with  a 
superior  force,  although  an  uninterrupted,  forced  march  had  been 
made  hither.  Our  corps  immediately  joined  the  Fifth.  At  dark 
a  combined  attack  was  made  by  both  corps,  but  with  slight 
result,  other  than  to  confirm  the  record  for  persistent  courage 
and  fidelity  which  the  Fifth  Corps,  the  old  First,  which  had 
been  united  with  it  in  March,  and  the  Sixth,  had  previously  won. 

Due  south  of  the  positions  held  in  the  wilderness  by  the  Con 
federate  right  and  Federal  left,  less  than  a  dozen  miles,  are  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mattapony.  Glancing  at  the  map  facing  page  152, 
four  streams  are  seen  uniting  to  form  that  river,  the  Mat,  the  Ta, 
the  Po,  and  the  Ny,  It  was  between  the  two  latter  most  northern 
forks  and  near  the  banks  of  the  Po,  that  the  engagement  of  the 
8th  of  May  occurred ;  we  passed  the  night  at  a  spot  to  the  north 
east  of  Laurel  Hill,  where  the  road  falls  off  from  the  hillock  to  the 
ford  of  the  Ny.  On  the  morning  of  the  Qth,  we  moved  to  the 
southwest  and  took  position  in  line,  our  corps  on  the  right  of 
the  Second.  We  had  been  perhaps  two  hours  in  position,  there 
having  been  a  more  or  less  continuous  interchange  of  artillery 
shots,  as  if  both  were  employed  in  getting  the  range,  and  there  had 
been  considerable  skirmishing  in  our  front ;  and  during  this  time 
the  sharpshooters  on  both  sides  were  busy  in  the  trees,  picking 
off  officers,  when  our  corps  commander,  Gen.  Jno.  Scdgwick,  came 


152  THE    STORY    OF    THE 

between  the  guns  of  our  right  section,  evidently  to  superintend 
placing  them  in  a  different  position.  Seeing  a  man  dodging  a 
ball,  he  said  :  "  Pooh  !  they  can't  hit  an  elephant  at  this  distance." 
These  were  the  last  words  he  ever  uttered  on  earth.*  He  fell 
between  the  guns  of  the  right  section  of  the  First  Massachusetts 
Battery.  His  body  was  borne  from  the  field  in  an  ambulance. 

Soon  after,  Gen.  Meade  was  seen  to  approach  Gen.  Wright, 
commander  of  our  First  Division,  having  a  paper  in  his  hand,  which 
doubtless  contained  instructions  to  the  corps  commander,  for  Gen. 
Wright  succeeded  Gen.  Sedgwick.  There  was  rapid  firing  from 
this  part  of  our  line,  and  continuous  reply  through  the  major  part 
of  the  day. 

The  position  of  the  artillery  remained  unchanged.  The  brigade 
commanded  by  Gen.  Upton,  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  consisting  among 
others  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-first  New  York  Volunteers, 
drove  in  a  large  detachment  of  Confederates  under  the  cover  of 
our  guns.  The  night  of  the  Qth  was  passed  in  the  same  position 
as  that  which  we  occupied  on  the  previous  night.  On  the  loth, 
our  place  in  the  line  was  farther  to  the  left,  the  position  of  the 
corps  having  been  changed.  The  action  on  this  part  of  the  line 
this  morning  opened  with  a  brisk  artillery  fire.  There  was  a 
fearful  loss  of  life  upon  the  Federal  side,  and  doubtless  a  similar 
decimation  of  the  Confederate  ranks  directly  opposed  to  the 
Sixth.  It  was  on  this  day  that  Lieut.  Federhen  of  our  company 
fell,  as  we  supposed,  mortally  wounded,  but  careful  nursing  so  far 
restored  him  that,  though  his  wound  was  but  partially  healed,  he 
was  again  with  us  before  the  Valley  campaign  in  the  fall.  Comrade 
John  Burnham  was  wounded  in  the  head.  The  situation  on  the 
nth  was  relatively  the  same  as  upon  the  previous  day,  a  bloody 
conflict,  without  being  decisive. 

The  name  of  Laurel  Hill,  which  is  borne  upon  the  banners  of 
many  regiments,  has  been  applied  to  the  series  of  manoeuvres  and 
fights  on  the  Qth,  loth,  and  nth  of  May.  On  the  last  of  these 
days,  as  the  battle  raged  in  the  afternoon,  heaven's  artillery 
thundered  above  the  contending  hosts,  the  lightning  vividly 
flashed,  sharply  reflected  by  the  steel  and  brass  of  arms  and 
equipments,  and  the  rain  poured  in  a  torrent. 

The  morning  of  the  I2th  found  the  branches  of  the  Mattapony 

*  Our  commander  had  remonstrated  with  the  general  for  thus  exposing  his  life. 


FROM    BRANDY    STATION    TO    PETERSBURG. 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  153 

swollen  by  the  flood,  and,  as  the  waters  subsided,  the  accumulated 
firm  gravel  of  the  beds  at  the  fords,  it  was  found,  had  been 
displaced,  disclosing  to  'the  horses'  hoofs  treacherous  quicksands. 
Early  on  this  morning,  Gen.  Grant  having  ordered  a  general 
assault  on  the  Confederate  position,  a  spirited  attack  was  made  by 
the  Sixth,  which  was  met  with  obstinate  resistance.  The  Second 
Corps  (Hancock's),  upon  our  left,  captured  a  "salient"  with 
twenty  cannon  ;  the  Federal  corps  was  hidden  by  a  thick  fog  ; 
it  broke  the  abattis,  surrounded  a  division,  and  took  three  thou 
sand  prisoners,  including  Generals  Edward  Johnson  and  Vodges. 
This  was  a  complete  surprise  :  these  officers  were  at  breakfast. 
The  subsequent  experience  of  our  troops  through  the  hours  of  the 
1 2th  was  that  of  a  desperate  contest  with  uncertain  result.  Ten 
thousand  men  had  fallen  upon  both  sides.  It  was  during  these 
days  that  Gen.  Grant  sent  his  famous  despatch  to  the  department, 
from  which  was  derived  the  oft-quoted,  characteristic  declaration, 
"  I  propose  to  fight  it  out  on  this  line,  if  it  takes  all  summer." 
****** 

The  following  week  was  spent  in  demonstrations  and  manoeu 
vres,  involving  much  marching ;  it  is  said  that  we  were 
waiting  for  reinforcements. 

On  the  1 8th  we  were  at  Chesterfield,  on  the  line  of  the  Fred- 
ericksburg  and  Richmond  Railroad ;  another  flank  movement  had 
evidently  commenced.  We  were  proceeding  southward,  by  the 
right  of  the  Confederates.  The  immediate  execution  of  this  plan 
was  delayed  on  the  following  day  by  an  attack  upon  our  right,  but 
after  a  sharp  conflict  the  strong  Confederate  force  was  driven 
back.  Both  armies,  on  the  2Oth,  occupied  lines  nearly  at  right 
angles  with  their  positions  on  the  8th,  Qth,  and  loth, —  that  is  to 
say,  their  backs  were  respectively  to  the  east  and  to  the  west> 
with  another  race  to  the  southward  in  prospective. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  we  were  marching  through  the  brown, 
sandy  loam  of  Caroline  County,  a  region  famous  in  plantation 
minstrelsy, — "Dandy  Jim  of  Caroline," — and  one  that  seemed 
hitherto  to  have  been  unvisited  by  invading  troops.  All  along 
the  route,  negroes  were  packing  their  simple  effects  and  following 
the  army  ;  now  and  then  a  woman  was  seen  expostulating  with  a 
colored  servant  who  was  about  to  depart  to  the  visionary  land  of 
freedom  and  fortune,  to  which,  in  his  simple  intelligence,  the  route 


154  THE    STORY    OF    THE 

pursued  by  our  army  led.  We  recollect  that,  as  we  were  round 
ing  a  curve  in  the  road,  about  noon,  a  mulatto  girl,  perhaps 
seventeen  years  old,  stood  on  a  hummock  waving  her  sun-bonnet 
in  her  hand,  exclaiming  :  'Tse  right  glad  to  see  you,  genTmen  ; 
I'se  right  glad  to  see  you,"  —  a  picturesque  sight,  and  one  quite 
suggestive. 

****** 

Some  sleek  and  handsome  saddle  mules,  that  served  for  trans 
portation  of  light  baggage,  were  captured  in  this  section. 

****** 

We  recollect  a  phrase  that  used  to  be  often  upon  the  lips  of 
some  comrades  at  this  time,  and  was  uttered  more  than  once  upon 
the  route  from  Spottsylvania  to  the  North  Anna,  "  Only  five  and 
a  few,"  a  reference  to  the  expiration  of  the  three  years  term  of 
enlistment,  in  the  coming  fall.  Comrade  David  S.  Morse,  a  man 
of  large  frame  and  great  strength,  having  a  vice-like  grip,  would 
occasionally  forcibly  remind  one  of  the  future  event,  by  a  healthy 
grasp  of  his  arm,  at  the  same  time  repeating  the  phrase. 
This  recollection  of  him  is  forced  upon  us  at  the  time,  interwoven 
with  the  memory  of  our  approach  to  the  North  Anna.  He  never 
in  the  flesh  saw  New  England  again ;  a  bullet  pierced  his  brain  at 
Cold  Harbor. 

The  inside  track  this  time,  as  before,  was  held  by  the  Confeder 
ates,  and  starting,  as  they  seem  to  have,  on  the  same  day  as  the 
Union  advance,  they  hastened  to  place  themselves  in  an  intrenched 
position  beyond  the  North  Anna. 

On  the  24th,  the  Sixth  Corps  crossed  the  difficult  ford  of  that 
river  above  Lee's  army,  and  placed  itself  upon  the  right  of  the 
Fifth  ;  Gen.  Warren  had  repulsed  a  violent  attack,  with  great 
loss,  the  evening  before ;  and  Gen.  Hancock,  who  had  effected  a 
crossing  at  Chesterfield  Bridge,  below,  after  some  fighting,  had 
taken  position  upon  Warren's  left.  An  attempt  of  Gen.  Burnside 
on  the  centre  was  repulsed.  It  was  not  until  this  day  that  the 
Ninth  Corps  was  formally  united  to  Meade's  command. 

The  enemy's  position  upon  the  North  Anna  was  stronger  than 
those  at  Wilderness  or  Spottsylvania ;  and  Gen.  Grant,  realizing 
that  the  loss  of  life  entailed  in  the  dislodgement  of  the  Confeder 
ates  would  be  greatly  disproportionate  to  the  temporary  advan 
tage  that  might  be  gained,  withdrew  on  the  night  of  the  26th  to 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  155 

the  north  bank,  and  moved  to  turn  the  Confederate  position  by 
its  right. 

Jericho  Ford  of  the  North  Anna  is  above  the  crossing  of  the 
Fredericksburg  Railroad,  and  perhaps  ten  miles  above  the  conflu 
ence  of  this  river  with  the  Pamunkey.  Down  the  left  bank  of  this 
river,  at  rapid  pace,  the  Sixth  Corps  marched,  on  the  2/th  of  May, 
now  in  advance,  and  moving  to  the  support  of  the  cavalry, —  which, 
during  the  battles  of  Spottsylvania,  had  passed  in  the  rear  of  the 
Confederate  position,  and  destroyed  miles  of  railroad, —  recaptured 
hundreds  of  prisoners  who  were  en  route  to  the  pens  at  Libby  or 
Salisbury,  and  captured  the  outer  defences  of  Richmond.  Gen. 
Sheridan  in  command  had  reached  the  vicinity  of  Cold  Harbor  on 
his  return.  We  crossed  the  Pamunkey  at  Hanovertown,  and 
moved  across  the  peninsula,  the  old  campaign  ground  of  1862, 
toward  the  Chickahominy. 

As  we  remarked  in  an  early  chapter,  we  struck  camp  on  the 
29th  on  the  road  from  White  House  to  Cold  Harbor,  on  the  same 
ground  where  we  bivouacked  in  the  summer  of  1862  when  march 
ing  up  the  peninsula  under  Gen.  Franklin.  We  moved  forward 
on  the  3Oth,  preceded  by  two  divisions  of  cavalry  under  Gen. 
Sheridan  ;  such  portion  of  the  enemy  as  had  gathered  in  this 
region  was  pushed  steadily  back,  after  more  or  less  resistance, 
as  upon  the  previous  day. 

On  the  3 ist  of  May  the  cavalry  divisions  entered  Cold  Harbor. 
On  the  morrow,  as  we  lay  east  of  Cold  Harbor,  where  we  had 
come  to  a  halt,  upon  an  open  tract  of  very  irregular  surface,  — 
hummocks  and  knolls  abounding,  interspersed  with  ravines,  bare, 
save  a  straggling  mulberry  tree, —  an  occasional  shot  came  shriek 
ing  overhead,  and  elicited  the  proposition  from  a  comrade,  that 
"  the  man  who  said  he  was  not  afraid  of  one  of  those,  lied."  Atten 
tion  was  drawn  to  a  corps  which  was  apparently  arriving  from 
White  House  ;  its  corps  flag  was  unfamiliar,  but  the  leader's  form 
and  features  seemed  not  strange  to  us,  nor  were  they.  It  was 
Gen.  "  Baldy  "  Smith,  with  the  Eighteenth  Army  Corps.  Both 
corps  (Sixth  and  Eighteenth)  moved  forward  to  take  the  position* 
gained  and  held  by  the  cavalry,  which  they  now  relieved. 

At  five  o'clock,  both  corps,  under  Gens.  Wright  and  Smith, 
opened  fire  with  all  their  infantry  and  artillery  in  an  attack  upon 
Lee.  Such  was  the  vim  of  this  onset,  that  they  succeeded  in 


156  THE    STORY    OF    THE 

carrying  a  large  part  of  his  first  line.  Forced  back  from  the  posi 
tion  which  they  had  held  upon  the  retirement  of  our  cavalry  on 
a  new  line,  the  Confederates  maintained  a  stubborn  and  sullen 
resistance  ;  nor  did  the  effort  of  the  Union  corps  relax, — the  attack 
was  continued  with  relentless  energy,  and  with  the  natural  result 
of  great  loss  of  life.  It  was  estimated  at  nightfall  that  2,000  men 
had  fallen  during  the  second  attack.  Subsequent  reports  show 
that  the  other  corps  repulsed  repeated  assaults  upon  their  ranks, 
during  the  time  of  the  engagement  of  the  Eighteenth  and  Sixth 
corps. 

Last  night  brought  in,  with  the  odor  of  the  dewy  grass  and  the 
foliage  of  the  swamps,  mingled  with  the  cries  of  night  birds,  the 
summer  of  1864.  To-night  brings  a  series  of  ineffectual  attempts 
of  the  enemy  to  recover  the  ground  which  our  sleepless  and 
watchful  troops  have  wrested  from  them  during  the  day. 

After  daylight,  June  2,  the  Second  Corps  was  placed  upon  our 
left,  while  the  Fifth,  which  had  been  to  the  north  of  the  Eighteenth 
Corps  at  considerable  interval,  was  extended  to  connect  with  the 
latter,  which  was  upon  our  right.  At  the  same  time  the  Ninth 
was  drawn  in  to  Bethesda  church.  Reports  of  these  last  two 
movements  show  that  they  were  not  accomplished  without  opposi 
tion  from  the  enemy,  with  the  loss  of  prisoners.  So  this  day  was 
occupied  in  reforming  and  redisposing  the  Federal  army.  Mean 
while  the  air  had  collected  much  moisture,  and  there  was  a  storm 
a  few  hours  distant ;  in  fact,  a  smart  summer  rain  preceded  the 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning  assault,  which  the  Second,  Sixth,  and 
Eighteenth  Corps,  in  pursuance  of  Grant's  plan  to  keep  constantly 
hammering  Lee's  army,  made  upon  the  Confederate  intrenchments. 
This  lasted  but  a  half-hour,  but  the  sanguinary  character  of  the 
contest  was  probably  never  surpassed  during  the  campaign. 
Barlow's  and  Gibbons's  divisions  of  the  Second  carried  a  part  of 
the  enemy's  line.  This  success  was  not,  however,  permanent, 
nor  was  any  decided  advantage  gained  by  the  gallant  action  of  the 
Eighteenth  and  Sixth.  The  Sixth  and  its  companion  corps 
^trenched  themselves  close  to  the  enemy's  main  line  of  works. 
This,  with  the  exception  of  an  attack  upon  Gibbons's  division  of 
the  Second  Corps,  at  nine  o'clock  at  night,  which  was  repulsed, 
was  the  last  important  engagement  in  this  campaign  north  of  the 
Chickahominy. 


FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    LIGHT    BATTERY.  157 

Two  days  later  we  were  still  lying  behind  these  fortifications, 
the  evenings  in  the  interim  being  enlivened  by  interchange  of  brief, 
brisk  musketry  fire;  and  just  after  dusk,  a  comrade  who  was 
beside  Comrade  David  S.  Morse  in  a  little  shelter  which  they  had 
pitched,  heard  the  latter  groan  ;  striking  a  match,  he  perceived 
that  comrade  Morse  had  been  shot  through  the  head,  his  brain 
protruding  from  the  skull.  Our  unfortunate  companion  was 
borne  to  the  artillery  brigade  hospital,  mortally  wounded.  We 
were  assured  at  the  hospital  that  in  his  condition,  in  the  nature  of 
things,  he  was  insensible  to  pain  ;  but  it  was  horrible  to  hear  the 
death-rattle  through  the  night,  for  such  a  fund  of  vitality  had  he 
that  life  became  extinct  only  a  little  before  dawn.  "  What  a  pow 
erful  man  he  has  been,"  said  the  steward,  as  he  touched  the  large, 
broad  thumb,  that  was  no  more  to  cover  the  vent  of  his  gun. 

A  grave  was  dug  beneath  a  mulberry  tree  in  a  little  vale  south 
of  the  hospital,  and  not  far  from  the  spot  whence  his  company 
departed  to  move  to  the  front  on  the  ist.  As  his  comrades  were 
about  to  deposit  the  remains  in  their  last  resting-place,  a  chaplain 
was  seen  riding  into  the  little  glen ;  the  messmate  of  the  departed 
comrade,  saluting  the  clergyman,  besought  his  services,  and  the 
chaplain,  responding,  officiated  in  a  manner  that  won  the  hearts  of 
the  boys  who  stood  around  him. 

Comrade  Morse  was  killed  June  5  ;  just  one  week  later,  the 
two  armies  in  their  fortifications  having  been  grimly  confronting 
each  other  the  while,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  moved  by  the  left 
flank  rapidly  down  the  Chickahominy,  and  passed  over  by  its  lower 
crossings,  speedily  through  Charles  City  County  to  the  James. 


158  THE    STORY    OF    THE 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE  march  through  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Chickahominy, 
and  over  the  fields  of  Charles  City  County,  was  uneventful, 
and,  except  that  the  weather  was  less  sultry,  and  it  was  an  advance 
movement,  would  remind  one  of  the  march  down  the  peninsula,  in 
the  summer  of  1862. 

It  was,  we  believe,  on  the  1 5th  of  June,  that,  begrimed  with  dust 
and  perspiration,  we  reached  a  point  opposite  Charles  City  court 
house,  where  the  James  burst  upon  our  view,  glistening  in  the  sun 
like  polished  steel.  What  a  spectacle  met  our  view  !  A  seemingly 
endless,  living,  moving  mass,  of  which  we  were  a  part,  reached 
across  the  broad  river  skirting  the  far-off  southern  shore,  then 
stretching  to  the  southwest  over  the  plateau  toward  the  Appo- 
mattox.  Never  before  had  this  historic  river  witnessed  such  a 
sight,  or  held  on  its  bosom  such  an  array  of  craft.  Its  rapid  tide 
forbade  the  anchoring  of  the  hundred  pontoons  ;  they  were  firmly 
attached  by  their  cables  to  vessels  above  and  below  the  bridge. 
Their  anchors  lay  in  the  mud  more  than  fourteen  fathoms  below. 
Over  this  driveway,  2,000  feet  long,  for  forty  hours,  with  ceaseless 
step,  moved  the  vast  train,  composed  of  the  three  arms  of  our  service, 
having  in  its  wake  3,000  head  of  beef  cattle,  and  it  is  said  fifty 
miles  of  wagon  train. 

****** 

The  drought  of  1864,  unsurpassed  in  meteorologic  annals,  had 
commenced  in  earnest  ;  there  was  a  continued  scarcity  of  even 
that  impure,  brackish  water  that  we  were  able  to  procure  by  sink 
ing  wells  in  naturally  moist  spots,  during  the  months  which  we 
spent  south  of  the  James.  The  water  of  those  wells  which  we 
scooped  out  in  the  swamp  on  the  line  of  the  Weldon  Railroad, 
used  to  have  a  curious  flavor  of  weeds  and  roots. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  159 

From  the  i/th  to  the  2Qth  of  June,  during  the  first  two  days  of 
which  period  there  was  assault  after  assault  upon  the  Confederate 
defences,  we  lay  in  a  fort  in  the  right  section  of  the  line  of 
redoubts  occupied  by  the  troops  that  were  investing  the  place  in 
its  front.  The  first  week's  experience  may  have  produced  a  grave 
doubt,  in  the  minds  of  Federal  military  authorities,  whether  these 
defences  could  be  carried  by  direct  assault.  At  all  events, 
attempts  were  made  at  the  end  of  that  period  to  turn  them  by  the 
south ;  then  8,000  cavalry,  under  Gen.  Wilson,  were  dispatched  to 
the  line  of  the  Weldon  and  Danville  Railroad.  Raiding  along 
that  road,  he  was  hotly  engaged  at  Stony  Creek  on  the  28th. 

It  was  on  the  night  of  this  day  that  we  were  sent  to  the  support 
of  this  cavalry  force,  and  on  the  following  day  occurred  the  affair 
at  Reams  Station.  It  is  stated  that  no  mention  of  this  event  was 
made  in  the  military  report,  and  it  has  received  no  specific  name. 
This  must  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the  war  had  assumed  such  gigan 
tic  proportions  that  an  engagement  which  in  1861  would  be 
termed  a  battle,  in  1864  was  regarded  as  incidental  by-play; 
nevertheless,  this  was  an  important  link  in  the  historical  chain 
which  was  forged  by  destiny  during  the  summer  of  1864.  We 
were  in  reserve  upon  the  left  in  this  vicinity,  on  the  eighty-eighth 
anniversary  of  our  national  independence,  and  during  five  con 
secutive  days  following. 

It  was  now  that  the  Sixth  Corps  was  selected  to  intercept  and 
chastise  the  Confederate  army  of  the  Shenandoah,  which  advices 
said  was  menacing  Washington.  An  all-night  march  to  City 
Point,  a  speedy  embarkation  on  the  loth,  and  we  were  steaming 
down  the  James.  No  senseless  tarry  in  Hampton  road,  nor 
lingering  in  the  Chesapeake.  Sometime  in  the  small  hours  of  the 
night  of  the  I2th,  we  debarked  at  the  Navy  Yard. 

It  was  in  the  second  week  of  July,  1864,  that  Gen.  Hunter's 
command,  which  had  made  an  almost  unparalleled  march  up  the 
valley  of  Virginia  to  Lynchburg,  and  had  fiercely  assailed  it,  was 
obliged  to  retire  before  a  superior  Confederate  force  hastily  sent 
by  rail  from  Lee's  army  ;  outnumbered  and  short  of  ammunition, 
it  retreated  over  the  Alleghanies  into  West  Virginia,  whence  it 
regained  the  Potomac  by  a  circuitous  route. 

There  was  now  no  Federal  force  of  any  moment  in  the  valley, 
and  Early,  with  20,000  Confederate  veterans,  sped  unobstructed 


I6O  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

down  the  Shenandoah,  and  over  the  Potomac,  scouring  the 
country  beyond  even  to  Pennsylvania,  for  horses,  cattle,  and  pro 
visions,  having  defeated  at  the  Monocacy  near  Frederick,  a  hand 
ful  of  Federal  troops,  comparatively  considered  (there  were  only 
one  fourth  of  his  own  number,  under  Gen.  Wallace).  Among  the 
troops  at  the  disposal  of  Gen.  Wallace,  were  one  brigade  of  the 
Eighth  Corps,  some  hundred  days  men,  and  militia,  but,  on  the 
night  of  the  /th,  Ricketts's  division  of  our  corps  began  to  arrive 
at  Baltimore  from  City  Point,  and  was  hurried  out  to  the  Mono 
cacy  by  Gen.  Halleck.  Gen.  Wallace  placed  the  division  of  the 
Blue  Greek  Cross  upon  his  left,  the  main  point  of  attack  covering 
the  Washington  pike  and  its  wooden  bridge.  Of  the  1,959  l°st  in 
this  affair,  nearly  600  were  of  this  division.  Gen.  Wallace  tele 
graphed  to  Gen.  Halleck :  "  I  am  retreating  with  a  footsore,  bat 
tered,  half  demoralized  column.  I  think  the  troops  of  the  Sixth 
Corps  fought  magnificently." 

While  Wallace  was  retrograding  toward  Baltimore,  that  night, 
Early,  having  buried  his  dead,  and  placed  his  wounded  in  the 
hospitals  of  Frederick,  moved  twenty  miles  east  unopposed, 
along  the  Georgetown  pike,  and  on  the  night  of  the  loth  camped 
near  Rockville.  It  was  clear  that  he  was  at  least  going  to  make 
a  demonstration  against  the  capital.  The  Confederate  cavalry 
in  the  meanwhile,  holding  by  detachments  the  fords  of  the  Poto 
mac,  were  gathering  a  vast  amount  of  plunder  and  sending  it  back 
in  the  shape  of  breadstuffs,  livestock,  and  horses,  to  be  transported 
across  the  river  into  Dixie. 

Sabbath  morn,  July  10,  1864,  in  the  capital  of  the  nation,  was 
a  season  of  feverish  excitement.  Gen.  Augur,  commanding  the 
defences  of  the  capital,  had  collected  heavy  artillery,  hundred 
days  men,  convalescents,  invalids,  sailors,  marines,  militia,  clerks. 
According  to  Gen.  Barnard,  "  there  was  in  the  defences  of  Wash 
ington  a  total  of  20,400 ;  of  that  number,  however,  but  9,600, 
mostly  raw  troops,  constituted  the  garrison  of  the  defences.  Of 
the  other  troops  a  considerable  portion  was  unavailable,  and  the 
whole  would  form  an  inefficient  force  for  service  on  the  line." 

But  if  the  nation's  capital  were  at  this  time  seriously  in  danger 
when  menaced  by  Early's  force  of  invaders,  succor  was  at  hand  ; 
early  in  the  afternoon  of  the  nth  of  July,  1864,  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  on  the  Sixth  Street  wharf  to  greet  the  veterans  of  the  First 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  l6i 

and  Second  Divisions  of  the  Greek  Cross  Corps,  which  had  left 
the  Jam>es  soon  after  the  engagement  of  their  Third  Division  at  the 
Monocacy.  "These  are  the  men  who  captured  Marye's  Heights," 
said  the  citizens  who  thronged  the  way  and  the  clerks  who  were 
doing  guard  duty,  as  the  infantry  of  the  corps  marched  up  Seventh 
Street,  along  toward  the  west  Maryland  defences  of  Washington, 
passing  fleeing  families  from  the  country,  who  were  seeking  shel 
ter  in  the  town,  reporting  that  their  houses  were  burned,  or  that 
their  household  goods  had  been  plundered.  Hard  by  Fort  de 
Russy,  the  Sixth  Corps  Infantry  bivouacked  that  night. 

"  On  the  nth  of  July,"  said  Gen.  Early  in  a  despatch  to 
the  Confederate  commander-in-chief,  "when  we  reached  the 
enemy's  fortifications,  the  men  were  completely  exhausted,  and 
not  in  a  condition  to  make  an  attack. 

****** 

"  I  determined  to  make  an  assault,  but  before  it  could  be  made 
it  became  apparent  that  the  enemy  had  been  strongly  reinforced. 

****** 

"After  consultation  with  my  division  commanders,  I  became 
satisfied  that  the  assault,  even  if  successful,  would  be  attended 
with  such  great  sacrifice  as  would  ensure  the  destruction  of  my 
whole  force  before  the  victory  could  be  made  available,  and  if  un 
successful,  would  necessarily  have  resulted  in  the  loss  of  the 
whole  force." 

From  the  tenor  of  this  despatch,  it  is  fair  to  infer  that  this 
general  had  no  serious  intention  of  attempting  anything  so  fool 
hardy  as  to  carry  by  assault  the  western  fortifications,  and  that 
probably  his  demonstration  at  this  point  was  to  cover  the  escape 
of  his  mounted  plunderers  across  the  Potomac.  From  the  facts 
within  our  knowledge,  viz.  that  the  Sixth  Corps,  and  a  portion  of 
the  Nineteenth,  had  arrived  upon  the  iith,  having  made  equally 
good  time  with  less  fatigue  than  the  Confederate  troops  from  the 
Kittoctin  Mountains,  it  is  evident  that  a  genuine  attack  would 
have  resulted  in  the  destruction  of  the  Confederate  force. 

In  the  forenoon  of  the  I2th,  Gen.  Getty's  division  of  the  Sixth 
Corps  was  placed  on  picket  in  front  of  Fort  Stevens  ;  at  the  same 
time  the  sharpshooters  of  the  enemy,  concealed  by  the  orchard 
near  the  Rives  House  on  the  Silver  Spring  road,  began  to  be 
active  in  attempting  to  pick  off  the  Federal  skirmishers.  Between 
11 


1 62  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

three  and  four  o'clock,  the  path  having  been  opened  by  the  guns 
of  Fort  Stevens,  by  order  of  Gen.  Wright,  Bidwell's  brigade  of 
the  Second  Division,  in  two  lines,  advanced  on  the  orchard  and 
grove  by  the  Rives  House,  and  cleared  out  Early's  skirmishers, 
sweeping  them  back  to  a  ridge  beyond,  whence,  after  a  stout 
resistance  on  the  part  of  the  latter,  they  were  driven  back  one  mile. 
This  affair  was  witnessed  by  the  president  and  members  of  his 
cabinet.  At  midnight  a  message  from  the  lieutenant  general  of 
the  armies  of  the  United  States  to  the  chief  of  staff  at  Washing 
ton,  said,  "  Maj.  Gen.  Wright  should  get  out  of  the  trenches  with 
all  the  force  he  possibly  can,  and  should  push  Early  to  the  last 
moment."  To  the  assistant  secretary  of  war,  he  said  :  "Boldness 
is  all  that  is  needed  to  drive  the  enemy  out  of  Maryland  in 
confusion.  I  hope  and  believe  Wright  is  the  man  to  assure 
that." 

****** 

It  was  in  the  first  faint  gray  of  dawn,  July  13,  that  we  hurried 
through  the  capital  and  out  on  the  Seventh  Street  road.  Clerks 
and  counter-jumpers  were  doing  guard  duty  in  the  streets,  other 
wise  scarcely  a  citizen  was  visible.  Passing  the  fortifications, 
where  we  are  joined  by  the  First  Division  of  the  Nineteenth 
Corps,  from  Louisiana,  we  proceed  toward  Poolesville,  reaching 
this  place,  twenty-six  miles  from  Fort  Stevens,  on  the  evening  of 
the  1/j.th.  The  wagon  train  was  yet  stretched  along  the  road 
behind  us.  On  the  morning  of  this  day,  at  this  place,  our  cavalry 
had  overtaken  that  of  the  enemy  acting  as  rear  guard,  and  had 
fired  upon  it  as  it  crossed  White's  Ford  after  the  infantry.  So 
there  was  artillery  firing  later  from  this  side  upon  the  Confederate 
pickets  who  held  the  ford  upon  the  Virginia  side. 

During  the  I4th,  while  moving  along  the  Poolesville  road,  we 
noticed  at  times  the  provost  guard  with  prisoners  who  were 
under  sentence  of  court  martial,  which  had  been  imposed  south 
of  the  James,  but  which  was  still  in  abeyance,  because  the 
exigencies  of  the  service  had  not  permitted  time  for  execution. 

There  was  one  man  under  sentence  of  death,  who  had  a  rope 
attached  to  him,  the  end  of  which  would  sometimes  be  in  the  hand 
of  a  guard,  and  sometimes  trailing  on  the  ground.  Once  while  it 
was  dragging,  a  German,  an  artilleryman,  picked  it  up,  and, 
making  a  noose  on  the  end,  tossed  it  to  the  prisoner,  saying, 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  163 

"  Tarn  you,  I  hung  you  for  a  draitor."  A  comrade  who  witnessed 
this,  retorted  :  "  If  I  were  the  guard,  I  would  prod  you  with  the 
bayonet,  for  tantalizing  an  unfortunate  man  with  a  rope  around 
his  neck." 

By  a  curious  coincidence,  the  German's  captain  had  been  the 
judge  advocate  in  the  court  martial  of  this  prisoner  who  bore  the 
rope,  a  convicted  deserter ;  and  when  at  night,  the  train  having 
halted  near  Poolesville,  the  question  arose  among  the  powers  that 
were,  as  to  who  should  be  the  man's  executioner  on  the  morrow, 
the  judge  advocate  is  reported  to  have  said  that  he  had  a  man 
in  his  company  for  any  duty  that  might  be  required,  and  that  he 
would  furnish  a  hangman.  And  sure  enough,  the  next  day  the 
German  was  detailed  to  launch  into  eternity  the  man  at  whom 
he  was  jeering  the  day  before. 

We  remember  seeing  Snyder  return  to  his  camp  from  the  fatal 
tree,  with  a  bunch  of  rope  in  one  hand  and  a  canteen  in  the  other, 
and  we  remember  a  chorus  of  tongues  asking,  "  Well,  Snyder,  did 
you  get  your  fee  ? "  and  the  same  chorus  uttering  a  deep  groan. 
But  Snyder's  mould  was  of  a  cast  too  phlegmatic  to  be  warped 
in  the  least  by  such  demonstrations.  "  I  hung  my  vater,  if  he  vas 
a  draitor,"  said  the  Teuton. 

On  the  night  of  the  I4th,  Gen.  Hunter  had  reached  Harper's 
Ferry,  on  his  return  through  the  Kanawha  region,  from  his 
memorable  raid,  to  Lynchburg.  He  received  orders  from  Gen. 
Wright  to  join  the  latter  at  Leesburg,  for  Wright  had  been 
given,  "  supreme  command  of  all  troops  moving  out  against  the 
enemy,  regardless  of  the  rank  of  other  commanders."  Yet,  on 
the  1 5th,  the  lieutenant  general  declared  to  Gen.  Halleck  :  "There 
can  be  no  use  in  Wright's  following  the  enemy,  with  the  latter  a 
day  ahead,  after  he  has  passed  entirely  beyond  all  our  communi 
cations.  I  want,  if  possible,  to  get  the  Sixth  and  Nineteenth  Corps 
here,  to  use  them  here,  before  the  enemy  can  get  Early  back  (to 
Petersburg).  As  soon  as  the  enemy  is  known  to  have  passed 
Hunter's  forces,  recall  Wright  and  send  him  back  here  with  all 
despatch,  and  also  send  the  Nineteenth  Corps." 

Early  was  now  at  Leesburg ;  Gen.  Hunter,  immediately  upon 
receiving  Gen.  Wright's  notification,  had  despatched  infantry  and 
cavalry,  some  9,000  men  under  Mulligan  and  Duffie,  eastward 
toward  that  place  ;  this  was  on  the  morning  of  the  I5th.  On  the 


164  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

evening  of  this  day,  Gen.  Wright  received  Gen.   Halleck's  orders 
to  continue  the  pursuit,  "but  with  caution." 

There  were  now  15,000  men  before  White's  Ferry,  near  Pooles- 
ville,  and  several  thousand  approaching  that  place  from  Washing 
ton,  with  9,000  men  sent  by  Gen.  Hunter,  moving  on  a  route 
that  would  enable  them  to  strike  Early's  flank,  as  he  marched 
from  Leesburg  to  the  gap  in  the  Blue  Ridge.  It  would  seem  that 
if  Gen.  Wright  had  been  unhampered  by  conflicting  and  doubtful 
orders,  having  had  a  definite  understanding  with  the  commander 
of  the  force  which  Hunter  had  sent  east,  Early  might  have  found 
great  difficulty  in  reaching  the  valley.  That  the  directions  of 
General  Grant  at  this  time,  and  until  Sheridan's  arrival  on  the 
scene,  seem  always  to  have  been  filtered  through  the  office  of  the 
chief  of  staff  at  Washington,  before  reaching  the  commander  of 
the  forces  on  the  upper  Potomac,  appears  to  have  continually 
prevented  that  commander,  whoever  he  might  be,  from  acting 
with  anything  like  decision. 

****** 

Early  on  the  i6th,  the  Sixth  Corps  and  its  associate  troops 
began  to  cross  the  Potomac  at  White's  Ferry.  Meanwhile,  Gen. 
Crook,  who  had  assumed  command  of  the  forces  of  Mulligan  and 
Duffie  on  the  Virginia  side,  had  reached  Purcellsville,  midway 
between  Leesburg  and  Snicker's  Gap ;  a  small  brigade  under 
Tibbets,  falling  upon  Early's  train,  captured  117  mules  and  horses, 
and  82  wagons.  We  do  not  know  if  there  were  pontoons  with  the 
Sixth  on  that  day,  but  we  are  sure  that  we  plunged  into  the  Poto 
mac  without  ceremony,  the  water  reaching  to  the  armpits  as  we 
gained  the  middle  of  the  river,  and  splashed  through  the  shallower 
depth  on  the  other  side  to  the  steep  Virginia  bank ;  so  came  artil 
lery  carriages  and  wagons,  grinding  the  bed  and  tossing  the  water 
to  the  right  and  left.  The  weather  being  warm  and  a  bath  quite 
grateful,  horses  and  men  were  supple  enough  as  they  emerged 
from  the  river,  and  climbed  the  heights  with  alacrity.  We  moved 
rapidly  through  Loudon  Valley,  passing  through  the  village  of 
Leesburg,  after  giving  our  horses  a  fodder  of  green  aftermath 
which  we  remember  had  been  cut  in  the  little  burial-ground  of 
that  village.  The  pursuit  was  steadily  continued  toward  the  base 
of  the  Blue  Ridge,  over  the  ridge  by  Snicker's  Gap,  to  the  Shen- 
andoah. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  165 

So  vigorously  indeed  was  the  invader  followed  and  pressed,  that 
of  the  2,000  horses  that  he  was  reported  to  have  hurried  into  Vir 
ginia  among  other  trophies  of  his  raid,  very  many  were  found 
hidden  here  and  there  in  the  mountains,  doubtless  to  be  recovered 
after  the  expected  departure  of  the  Federals.  We  saw  many  a 
fine  steed  which  had  been  intended  to  replenish  the  stock  of  the 
Confederate  squadrons. 

On  the  1 8th,  Gen.  Wright  instructed  Gen.  Crook  to  move 
through  Snicker's  Gap,  where  his  advance  was,  and  the  Sixth 
Corps  was  in  motion  for  the  same  mountain  pass.  On  this  after 
noon,  from  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  the  enemy  could  be  seen  on 
the  high  ground  beyond  the  river.  How  strong  in  position  there, 
and  what  part  of  his  force  remained,  was  yet  uncertain.  Gen. 
Crook  sent  Thoburn's  division  to  a  ford  below  Snicker's,  and  one 
of  the  brigades  of  this  division  did  charge  across  Island  Ford, 
capturing  some  skirmishers.  From  this  party  it  was  learned  that 
Early's  whole  force  was  within  a  couple  of  miles.  Sending  back 
this  intelligence  to  Gen.  Crook,  Gen.  Thoburn  was  directed  to 
form  a  line  with  his  brigades  and  await  the  arrival  of  a  division 
of  the  Sixth  Corps  Infantry.  Before  its  arrival,  however,  the  cav 
alry  was  attacked  by  Breckenridge  and  Rodes,  and  forced  back 
upon  the  east  side  of  the  river  with  a  loss  of  over  400.  When  the 
Third  Division  of  the  Sixth  came  up,  the  division  commander 
did  not  think  it  prudent,  under  the  circumstances,  to  cross  his 
men,  and  the  remaining  troops  fell  back  in  good  order. 

****** 

It  was  as  dark  as  Egypt  as  we  threaded  our  way  through  the 
trees  and  among  the  stumps  and  rocks  to  a  bivouac  ground  on 
the  crest,  having  climbed  the  east  slope  about  sundown  and  passed 
through  the  gorge.  We  left  the  rough,  winding  road  by  the  north 
side,  and  traversed  the  side  of  the  mountain  for  a  mile  or  more 
before  we  halted  for  the  night.  The  moon  at  length  rose  soft  and 
clear  above  the  summit  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  its  light  disclosing  a 
high,  rugged  wilderness  overlooking  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah. 
Here  we  remained  during  the  day  and  night  of  the  igth.  During 
the  day,  as  we  have  previously  remarked,  many  horses  which  had 
been  stampeded  across  from  Maryland  or  Pennsylvania,  having 
been  sought  out  in  the  mountains  where  they  had  been  hidden, 
were  appropriated  by  our  troops.  That  night  the  Confederates 


1 66  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

retreated  toward  Strasburg.  The  next  day  (2Oth)  we  crossed  the 
Shenandoah  at  Snicker's  Ferry,  moving  thence  toward  Berryville. 
But  before  reaching  Berryville,  we  turned  back,  retraced  our  steps 
through  Snicker's  Gap  to  Leesburg,  encamping  that  night  on  the 
east  side  of  Goose  Creek.  The  next  night  was  spent  at  Dranes- 
ville ;  thence  we  moved  by  rapid  stages  via  Falls  Church  to  George 
town.  We  hurried  on  toward  Arlington  Heights,  passing  the 
highly-cultivated  government  plantation,  where  freedmen  were 
employed  in  the  culture  of  corn  and  vegetables ;  and  reaching  one 
of  the  numerous  forts  in  the  southern  chain  of  defences,  not  far 
from  Chain  Bridge,  we  made  a  brief  halt.  Rumor  said  we  were 
on  our  return  to  the  James,  to  further  participate  in  the  siege  of 
Petersburg. 

We  were  a  travel-stained,  dusty  set  of  fellows,  and  we  have  no 
doubt,  from  an  aesthetic  point  of  view,  unsightly  looking  soldiers  ; 
but  we  heard  a  comrade  say  as  he  viewed  the  soldiers  in  the  fort, 
with  their  clean  raiment,  polished  boots,  and  shiny  breastplates 
and  shoulder  scales,  that  he  "  much  preferred  the  feverish  excite 
ment  of  a  campaign  to  the  humdrum  life  that  was  evidently  led 
by  the  men  of  this  garrison."  In  less  than  an  hour,  the  bugle 
said,  "Drivers,  mount!"  and  following  our  leaders  we  proceeded 
to  Tenallytown  in  Maryland. 

But  transports  were  positively  waiting  off  Washington  to  con 
vey  the  Sixth  Corps  to  the  James.  Indeed,  our  return  from  the 
Blue  Ridge  was  in  accordance  with  Gen.  Wright's  construction  of 
the  orders  given  by  the  commander-in-chief  through  Gen.  Hal- 
leek, —  "  to  go  only  far  enough  to  verify  the  enemy's  retreat,  and 
then  be  ready  to  return  speedily  to  City  Point."  We  went  into 
camp,  but  there  was  an  evident  feeling  that  we  were  only  waiting 
our  turn  to  embark.  There  were  the  most  stringent  orders  in 
vogue,  forbidding  any  private  to  enter  the  capital,  and  the  strict 
est  injunctions  to  be  always  within  call. 

Nevertheless,  a  good  representation  of  each  command  might 
have  been  found  in  the  city  on  any  day  during  this  tarry  at  Ten 
allytown.  Even  in  the  Capitol,  venturesome  privates  were  seen 
inspecting  the  paintings,  and  alas  !  too  many  others,  victims  of 
the  venders  of  bad  whiskey,  who  would  later  come  straggling 
to  their  companies,  weak  and  enervated,  when  marching  orders 
should  be  received.  Four  days  of  suspense  dragged  by ;  on 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  l6/ 

the  26th  our  corps  and  the  Nineteenth  were  again  in  motion, 
westward. 

Gen.  Early,  on  the  23d,  at  Strasburg,  having  learned  that  the 
Sixth  Corps  had  returned  to  Washington,  and  that  only  Crook's 
forces  were  at  Kernstown,  the  Nineteenth  Corps  also  having 
departed,  he  fell  with  his  combined  force  upon  the  commands  of 
Crook  and  Averell  at  that  place.  Of  this  affair  Gen.  Hunter 
wrote  :  "  It  was  only  owing  to  the  steadiness  and  good  conduct 
of  the  infantry  which  came  with  us  from  the  Kanawha,  that  the 
army  was  saved  from  utter  annihilation.  .  .  .  The  refuse  force 
sent  from  Washington,  representing  twenty-seven  different  regi 
ments,  is  said  to  have  done  more  injury  than  service."  It  was 
the  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  misfortune  at  Kernstown  that 
caused  the  hurried  march  of  the  Sixth  Corps  on  the  26th  ;  now, 
the*  soldiers  who  had  been  enjoying  self-granted  furloughs  in  the 
city,  were  hurried  beyond  the  barriers,  some  of  them  reaching 
their  commands  just  on  the  eve  of  their  departure,  some  dropping 
in  in  knots  on  the  first,  second,  and  third  days  after.  Some  came 
to  their  camps  outside  the  fortifications  just  as  the  corps  were 
moving  out  in  column,  looking  a  little  worse  for  wear ;  others 
smiling  and  serene  ;  some  haggard  and  spiritless,  dragging 
themselves  wearily  along;  some  alighted  from,  hacks,  quite  sty 
lish  turnouts,  which  the  soldiers  had  chartered  to  convey  them 
to  the  outposts.  We  made,  in  the  next  day  and  a  half,  another 
of  those  forced  niarches  for  which  the  Sixth  Corps  was  memor 
able  in  the  annals  of  the  Maryland  and  Northern  Virginia  cam 
paigns. 

Reaching  the  vicinity  of  Frederick  on  the  28th,  we  advanced  to 
Jefferson,  halted  there  at  midnight,  rested  there  until  dawn,  then 
through  Sandy  Hook  to  the  foot  of  Maryland  Heights,  into  the 
gap  where  the  Potomac  had  some  day  cut  its  patn  through  the 
mountain  rock  and  made  an  awful  gateway  with  frowning  columns 
of  dizzy  height  on  either  hand,  and  between  them  a  rugged 
channel  for  its  torrent,  and  a  long,  irregular  shelf  for  the  mountain 
road.  A  halt  in  the  deserted,  half-obliterated  hamlet  of  Harper's 
Ferry,  under  Bolivar  Heights  ;  later,  a  march  to  Halltown,  where 
we  bivouacked. 

The  following  afternoon  we  countermarched ;  infantry  and 
artillery  were  sweltering  for  hours  in  the  motionless,  heated, 


l68  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

stagnant  atmosphere  of  the  gorge,  between  Bolivar  and  London 
Heights,  pending  the  exasperatingly  slow  crossing  of  the  single 
pontoon  bridge  at  the  ferry.  The  poor,  panting  beasts  that  drew 
the  cannons  and  caissons  were  bathed  in  perspiration  and 
tortured  by  flies  ;  standing  harnessed  for  hours  in  the  dust  of  this 
hot  pen,  they  suffered  more  than  on  the  march  hither,  when 
prodded  to  the  utmost.  At  dark  (and  the  darkness  was  thick) 
a  huge  fire  was  kindled  at  the  shoulder  of  the  great  rock  that 
overhangs  the  village  ;  and  when  in  the  course  of  the  night  our 
artillery  column,  in  its  turn,  began  to  round  the  bluff  to  march 
down  onto  the  bridge,  our  drivers,  having  been  for  a  long  time 
in  the  glare  of  the  light,  now  coming  suddenly  into  the  deep 
shadow  of  the  rock,  were  blinded  and  utterly  unable  to  discern  the 
steep  bank  within  the  swing  of  their  whips,  on  their  right  hand  ; 
"Bear  hard  to  the  left,"  officers  shouted,  standing  at  the  bend 
in  the  road ;  and  the  drivers  instinctively  obeyed,  blind  as 
moles.  Across  the  river,  and  through  the  pass,  and  on,  up 
Pleasant  Valley,  all  night  and  all  day  following  we  were  afoot. 
On  the  evening  of  the  3Otb  of  August,  we  were  again  in  the 
vicinity  of  Frederick.  Our  existence  at  this  time  was  peri 
patetic.  We  were  on  the  wing  all  day,  and  after  we  had  made 
some  preparations  at  nightfall,  for  tarrying,  "assembly"  would  be 
sounded,  and  we  either  were  directed  to  move  at  once,  or  notified 
that  "first  call  "  would  be  at  three  A.  M.  During  the  next  three 
days  our  corps  held  the  South  Mountain  passes,  and  the  Nine 
teenth  Corps  was  sent  to  Frederick. 

During  this  time  Gen.  Grant  was  at  the  Monocacy,  although  the 
fact  was  unknown  to  a  private  of  the  Sixth  Corps  ;  also  had  Sheri 
dan  arrived  at  Washington.  This  was  a  strange  fortnight  of 
marches  and  countermarches,  inexplicable  to  the  average  private. 
"  Six  men  fell  dead  yesterday  in  one  of  our  smallest  brigades," 
wrote  Gen.  Hunter,  on  the  2Qth.  Horses  and  men  by  scores  fell 
by  the  wayside,  the  latter  succumbing  to  the  heat,  intense  even 
for  the  season. 

On  the  5th  of  August  we  were  returning  to  Halltown,  Virginia, 
via  Harper's  Ferry.  This  was  in  pursuance  of  orders  which- Gen. 
Grant  had  given  Gen.  Hunter,  "to  concentrate  all  the  forces,  con 
sisting  thus  far  of  Wright's  Sixth,  Emory's  Nineteenth,  and 
Crook's  Eighth,  in  the  vicinity  of  Harper's  Ferry ;  and  if  it 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  169 

should  be  found  that  the  enemy  had  moved  north  of  the  Potomac 
in  large  force,  to  follow  and  attack  him  wherever  he  goes." 

There  was  to  be  some  new  material  for  history  obtained  in  the 
valley, —  a  change  of  tactics  by  and  by,  quite  as  novel  in  its  way 
as  that  wrought  in  the  heart  of  Virginia  during  the  previous 
spring.  Sheridan  had  arrived  from  the  James  to  assume  com 
mand  of  an  army,  composed  of  the  Sixth  and  Nineteenth  Corps, 
of  the  "  army  of  West  Virginia,"  or  Eighth  Corps,  and  the  cavalry 
of  Torbertand  Wilson,  to  operate  in  the  region  of  the  Shenandoah. 
The  words  of  Grant  at  this  time  were  significant,  and  indeed  savor 
of  prophecy  :  "  What  we  want  is  prompt  and  active  movements 
after  the  enemy,  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  you  already 
have.  I  feel  every  confidence  that  you  will  do  the  very  best,  and 
will  leave  you  as  far  as  possible  to  act  upon  your  best  judgment, 
and  not  embarrass  you  with  orders  and  instructions." 

Four  days  we  tarried  at  Halltown,  a  period  of  recuperation.  On 
the  loth  of  August  we  were  marching  through  Charleston,  to 
the  air  of  "Glory,  glory,  hallelujah!"  How  inscrutable  are  the 
ways  of  Providence!  The  institution  against  which  old  John 
Brown  warred  was  in  ruins,  a  crumbling  shell,  like  the  jail  yonder 
whence  he  was  led  to  execution.  A  few  months  more,  and  the 
ruins  of  this  social  fabric  shall  be  as  unsubstantial  as  those  of  the 
old  court-house,  in  which  he  was  condemned. 

The  Sixth  Corps  moved  through  Charlestown  to  Clifton,  occupy 
ing  the  right  of  the  line,  the  Nineteenth,  along  the  Berryville 
pike ;  the  Eighth  Corps  was  on  the  left  of  the  Nineteenth,  Lowell's 
cavalry  was  upon  our  right,  and  Merritt's  upon  the  extreme  left  of 
the  army.  This  was  a  movement  which  covered  the  northern 
passes  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  through  which  reinforcements  were  to 
come. 

There  were  three  fords  on  the  Opequon,  in  front  of  the  three 
corps  respectively  ;  there  was  an  interval  of  three  fourths  of  a  mile 
between  the  right,  on  the  Berryville  pike,  and  the  next  higher,  and 
the  third  was  one  mile  south  of  the  second. 

These  crossings  were  occupied  on  the  nth.  Early,  in  the 
meanwhile,  had  retreated  from  Bunker  Hill  and  had  taken  a  posi 
tion  before  Winchester,  which  held  the  junction  of  the  roads  which 
led  respectively  from  Manassas  Gap  via  Front  Royal,  and  the 
Millwood  pike.  His  force  was  in  line  of  battle,  but  his  expected 


I/O  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

reinforcements  had  not  arrrived.  He  did  not  intend  to  stand  at 
this  place,  and  while  the  Federal  corps  were  reaching  the 
crossings  of  the  Opequon,  the  Confederates  were,  as  Torbert  dis 
covered  by  encountering  their  cavalry  in  a  severe  skirmish  on 
the  Millwood  pike,  hastening  toward  Strasburg. 

The  Sixth  Corps  was  now  moved  up  the  right  bank  of  the  creek 
to  the  Millwood  Ford,  where  it  spent  the  night ;  the  Nineteenth 
was  between  our  corps  and  the  Front  Royal  road,  and  the  Eighth 
was  five  miles  east  of  Middletown.  Now  Middletown  is  nearly 
east  of  Strasburg,  and  unless  Early  retired  beyond  the  latter  place, 
a  battle  on  the  I2th  was  inevitable.  On  the  morning  of  that  day, 
the  Confederates  moved  across  Cedar  Creek,  occupying  the  south 
ern  bank ;  later,  their  lines  were  established  to  extend  from  Little 
North  Mountain,  the  west  wall  of  this  part  of  the  valley,  over 
Fisher's  Hill,  to  the  west  fork  of  the  Shenandoah,  which  flows 
along  the  west  base  of  the  rugged  Massanutten  range, —  a  triple 
interloping  spur  that  extends  northward  from  the  vicinity  of 
Harrisonburg  half  a  hundred  miles,  terminating  east  of  Strasburg 
in  grim  old  "  Three  Top,"  around  whose  foot  the  west  branch  of 
the  river  breaks  away  to  Front  Royal,  there  to  join  the  east  fork. 

On  the  morning  in  question,  the  three  Federal  corps  were 
pushed  forward  to  the  north  bank  of  Cedar  Creek,  our  corps 
being  on  the  right  of  the  line.  A  skirmish  line  of  the  Sixth  and 
Eighth  Corps  at  once  crossed  the  creek  on  either  side  of  the 
valley  pike,  menacing  the  enemy's  pickets  until  evening.  The 
following  morning  the  cavalry  reconnoitred  the  neighborhood  of 
the  town,  by  moving  along  the  back  road  which  runs  west  of 
and  parallel  with  the  great  valley  pike,  and  found  that  only 
pickets  occupied  Hupp's  Hill ;  so  Gen.  Wright  was  ordered  to 
move  his  skirmishers  into  Strasburg,  which  he  did,  and  occupied 
Hupp's  Hill  in  force. 

The  enemy  was  now  signaling  from  Three  Top,  where  he  had  a 
station  ;  something  of  unusual  importance  was  in  progress.  What 
was  it  ?  A  message  from  the  commandant  at  Harper's  Ferry  to 
Gen.  Sheridan  will  perhaps  explain.  "I  have  information  from  a 
source  always  found  reliable,  that  reinforcements  under  Hill  and 
Longstreet  are  moving  up  the  valley  that  if  attacked  in  his  pre 
sent  positkfh,  Early  proposes  to  show  fight  and  retire  until  a 
junction  can  be  formed  with  the  advancing  forces." 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  I /I 

Sheridan,  deeming  the  position  on  Cedar  Creek  untenable, 
resolved  to  retire  to  the  Clifton-Berryville  position  which  we  had 
occupied  on  the  loth.  Besides,  reinforcements  were  on  their  way 
through  Snicker's  Gap  to  join  us.  The  subsequent  glorious  suc 
cesses  of  the  Federal  Army  of  the  Shenandoah  justified  this  last 
retrograde  movement.  The  enemy  perceiving  from  Three  Top 
that  Sheridan  had  retired,  pursued.  A  sharp  engagement 
occurred  on  the  2ist.  Our  cavalry  pickets  on  the  Opequon  having 
been  driven  in,  the  divisions  of  Rodes  and  Ramseur  fell  upon  the 
Sixth  Corps,  gaining,  however,  no  permanent  advantage,  while 
Anderson,  who  had  later  moved  from  Winchester,  was  repulsed 
by  Merritt  and  Wilson. 

The  next  day  the  army  was  established  at  Halltown,  with  one 
flank  on  the  Shenandoah  and  the  other  upon  the  Potomac,  the 
best  defensive  position  in  the  valley.  Early  now  spent  several 
days  in  demonstrating  against  the  Federal  position,  and  then 
moved  off  to  the  northwest,  as  if  designing  to  cross  the  Potomac. 
Had  he  commenced  such  operation,  an  opportunity  to  strike  his 
divided  forces  would  have  been  eagerly  embraced  by  Sheridan. 
The  enemy,  however  remained  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and 
posted  his  forces  west  of  the  Opequon.  On  the  26th  and  2/th  he 
had  resumed  his  old  position  occupied  by  him  prior  to  his  retire 
ment  to  Strasburg  on  the  I  ith  and  I2th  ;  i.  e.  at  Bunker  Hill  and 
Stephenson,  with  his  cavalry  on  either  flank.  This  was  the  signal 
for  us  to  move  forward  to  re-occupy  the  position  which  we  left  on 
the  i  ith  to  reach  the  crossings  of  the  Opequon. 

Marching  early  on  the  28th  we  made  a  gradual  advance  by  easy 
stages,  and  with  commendable  caution,  the  enemy's  designs  yet 
unknown,  while  the  character  of  the  face  of  the  country  readily 
betrayed  our  own.  We  gained  the  old  line  on  the  3d  of  September, 
within  a  week  after  our  departure  from  Halltown  ;  i.  e.  the  Sixth 
Corps  was  at  Clifton  on  the  right  of  the  line,  the  Eighth  at 
Berryville  on  the  left,  and  the  Nineteenth  between  them. 

The  time  thenceforth  until  the  battle  of  the  igth  of  Septem 
ber,  was  employed  by  Gen.  Sheridan  in  reorganizing  his  army 
and  in  preparing  for  a  campaign  that  was  practically  to  end  the 
war  in  northern  Virginia. 

A  remarkable  coincidence,  illustrating  that  the  thoughts  ot 
great  minds  flow  in  the  same  channels,  here  looms  up  to  the 


1/2  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

observer.  About  the  8th  of  September,  in  a  despatch  to  Ander 
son,  Gen.  Lee  said :  "  I  have  been  desirous  for  some  time  of 
recalling  you  to  me.  But  my  unwillingness  to  diminish  the  force 
in  the  valley  has  prevented.  A  victory  over  Sheridan  would 
materially  change  the  aspect  of  affairs." 

On  the  8th  of  September,  Sheridan  telegraphed  to  Gen.  Grant : 
"  I  have  not  deemed  it  best  to  attack  the  enemy,  but  have  watched 
closely  to  press  him  hard  so  soon  as  he  commences  to  detach 
troops  to  Richmond.  This  was  the  tenor  of  your  telegram  to  me 
after  I  took  up  the  defensive." 

On  the  9th,  Gen.  Grant  replies  :  "  I  would  not  have  you  make 
an  attack  with  the  advantage  against  you,  but  would  prefer  just 
the  course  you  seem  to  be  pursuing;  i.e.  pressing  closely  upon  the 
enemy,  and  when  he  moves,  follow  him  up,  being  ready  at  all 
times  to  pounce  upon  him,  if  he  detaches  any  considerable  force." 

Now  in  our  command  there  was  a  general  recollection  that  the 
nucleus  of  our  company  was  mustered  upon  the  2gth  of  August, 
1861,  as  the  third  anniversary  of  that  day  approached.  Our 
captain  was  absent,  but  our  second  in  command  called  the 
attention  of  the  corps  commander  to  the  matter  of  the  expiration 
of  the  term  of  service  of  the  company.  Now  the  question  was 
raised,  whether  our  service  as  United  States  troops  commenced 
when  we  were  mustered  in  Massachusetts,  or  when  we  departed 
for  the  seat  of  war.  If  at  the  latter  moment,  then  we  were  to 
remain  until  the  third  of  October.  This  question  seems  to 
have  presented  no  grave  difficulties  to  the  mind  of  the  corps 
commander,  for  he  directed  that  all  those  men  who  were 
mustered  on  the  2gth  of  August,  1861,  should  be  discharged  on  the 
third  anniversary  of  that  day,  and  that  men  who  were  mustered  at 
different  subsequent  dates  should  be  discharged  as  fast  as  their 
terms  of  service  expired.  Accordingly,  forty  men  of  the  first 
group  departed  from  camp  on  the  29th,  for  New  England. 
But  before  there  was  any  further  discharge  of  members  of  our 
company,  an  order  was  received  at  corps  headquarters,  to  hold  the 
balance  of  the  three  years  men,  until  the  third  of  October. 

This  unquestionably  meant  another  campaign.  No  man  sent  by 
Grant  to  the  valley  to  direct  military  affairs  in  that  quarter  was 
destined  for  a  lay  figure,  and  certainly  not  when  that  man  was 
Phil  Sheridan.  If  we  remained  inactive  eighteen  days  longer,  it 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  1/3 

was  because  he  meant,  when  he  moved,  to  push  Early  up  the 
valley,  and  was  preparing  to  do  so. 

During  the  next  nineteen  days,  foraging  was  the  leading 
industry  of  the  mounted  troops  ;  after  guard  mounting,  almost 
invariably,  of  a  morning,  we  sallied  forth  for  provender  for  the 
horses,  now  east,  now  west,  now  to  the  rear,  scouring  the  farms 
by  the  cross  roads,  and  now  out  upon  the  wings  of  the  army,  even 
passing  sometimes.,  with  an  infantry  guard,  the  cavalry  picket  line, 
with  its  motionless  riders,  sitting  with  carbines  at  aim.  What  a 
region  of  diverse  natural  gifts  is  this  valley  of  the  Shenandoah,— 
a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey  !  Such  mutton  as  the  slope 
of  the  mountains  produced,  we  believe  could  be  found  nowhere 
else  ;  no  need  of  strips  of  pork  in  the  frying-pan,  to  facilitate 
the  cooking  of  this  fine,  juicy  meat.  In  all  that  portion  of  the 
valley  north  of  the  interloping  Massanutten  Range,  twenty  odd 
miles  south  of  Winchester,  the  f^rms  present  about  every  variety 
of  surface,  with  uniformly  excellent  soil,  and  consequent  adaptation 
to  every  variety  of  stock  raising  and  cereal  culture. 

We  found  that  much  of  the  fruits  of  that  section  had  been  left 
untouched  by  the  Southrons,  and  we  came  in  for  a  fair  share  of 
those  things  that  the  quartermaster's  and  commissary  depart 
ment  of  an  army  may  properly  appropriate  in  an  enemy's  country. 


1/4  THE     STORY     OF     THE 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


OPEQUON  CREEK  rises  five  or  six  miles  south  of  Winches 
ter,  and  flows  northeast  from  three  to  four  miles  east  of  the 
city,  into  the  Potomac.  Beside  the  three  fords,  to  which  we  have 
alluded  in  a  previous  chapter,  there  were  several  nearer  the  mouth, 
notably  one  near  Summit  Point.  There,  Torbert  was  to  cross, 
early  on  the  igth,  and  form  a  junction  of  Merritt's  and  Averill's 
cavalry,  near  Stephenson's  Depot,  on  the  Winchester  division  of 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  north  of  east  from  Winchester. 
Wilson's  cavalry,  on  this  morning,  was  to  move  across  the  creek 
by  the  Berryville  pike  ;  the  road  thence  for  a  couple  of  miles 
passes  through  a  wild  gorge  called  Berryville  Canon.  Through 
this,  Wilson's  cavalry  was  to  charge,  to  clear  the  way  for  the  Sixth 
and  Nineteenth  Corps.  The  Eighth  Corps  was  to  approach  this 
crossing  and  take  position  in  reserve.  The  Opequon  receives  two 
tributaries  from  the  west,  one  flowing  a  mile  south  of  Winches 
ter, —  Abraham's  Creek  ;  the  other,  Red  Bud  Run,  about  the  same 
distance  north  of  the  town.  Between  these  branches  of  the 
Opequon,  on  its  west  side,  two  miles  from  the  town,  commenced 
the  battle  of  the  iQth  of  September. 

The  Sixth  Corps  was  astir  by  two  o'clock;  it  moved  along 
Berryville  pike,  the  infantry  on  either  side,  the  artillery  following 
the  road.  Two  miles  from  the  crossing,  which  is  near  the  mouth 
of  Abraham's  Creek,  we  passed  the'Nineteenth  Corps;  the  head  of 
its  column  was  halted  by  Gen.  Wright,  to  whom  its  commander 
had  been  ordered  to  report.  The  Sixth  Corps,  reaching  the  earth 
work  across  the  creek,  which  Wilson's  cavalry  had  captured  and 
occupied  early  in  the  morning,  about  two  miles  from  Winchester, 
was  formed  in  line,  the  Third  Division  on  the  north  side  of  the 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  175 

pike  which  runs  east  from  the  ford  to  Winchester,  the  Second 
Division  on  the  left.  The  First  Division  was  in  reserve.  While 
this  line  was  being  formed,  the  enemy  in  front,  half-way  between 
our  position  and  Winchester,  kept  up  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery.  The 
cavalry  took  position  on  the  left  of  our  Second  Division  of 
infantry.  Now  our  corps  artillery  coming  up,  four  batteries,  one  of 
which  was  A,  First  Massachusetts,  were  placed  on  the  corps 
front,  under  our  chief  of  artillery,  Col.  Tompkins ;  this  was  to 
respond  to  the  enemy's  guns,  which  were  annoying  our  infantry 
while  establishing  itself  on  either  side  of  the  pike.  Before  noon, 
the  Nineteenth  Corps  had  formed  upon  the  right  of -the  Sixth; 
and  soon  after  the  whole  line  moved  forward  across  the  uneven 
ground  toward  a  belt  of  woods,  whence  proceeded  the  enemy's 
cannonade  during  the  formation  of  our  lines. 

In  front  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps  was  Gordon,  and  before  the 
Sixth,  Ramseur  and  Rodes.  Confronting  Wilson's  cavalry  on 
our  extreme  left  was  the  Confederate  cavalry  of  Lomax.  Here 
the  Federal  troop  first  held  its  adversary  in  check,  and  then 
forced  him  back. 

From  the  first  onset  of  our  infantry,  the  struggle  for  the  posses 
sion  and  defence  of  the  ground  became  desperate.  The  Sixth 
Corps  drove  back  the  divisions  of  Rodes  and  Ramseur,  and  the 
Nineteenth,  having  attacked  Gordon's  force,  pressed  it  back 
through  the  wood,  following  to  within  musket  shot  of  Braxton's 
Confederate  battery,  which  was  placed  unsupported  behind  the 
belt  of  trees  through  which  the  infantry  had  advanced. 

This  battery,  however,  firmly  held  its  ground,  concentrating  its 
fire  upon  the  ranks  of  the  advancing  Nineteenth.  Now  a  fresh 
brigade  of  Confederates,  just  arrived  on  the  scene,  with  lately 
discomfited  troops  of  Gordon  supporting  it  upon  its  flanks, 
charged  through  the  woods  on  the  Third  Division  of  the  Sixth 
and  the  Second  Division  of  the  Nineteenth,  at  their  junction, 
causing  a  temporary  wavering  of  our  line,  and  gaining  a  temporary 
advantage,  purchased,  however,  with  the  loss  of  the  brave  and 
able  Gen.  Rodes. 

Now  the  first  division  of  the  Sixth  was  brought  into  the  front 
line.  The  brigades  of  Edwards,  Campbell,  and  Upton  moved  into 
the  gap  caused  by  the  Confederate  charge,  the  movement  being 
facilitated  by  the  artillery  of  the  corps,  which  did  good  execution 


1/6  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

under  an  annoying  fire.  Upton's  brigade,*  moving  forward  into  the 
woods,  delivering  heavy  volleys  into  the  lines  of  the  advancing 
ranks  of  the  enemy,  caused  him  to  fall  back  ;  so  the  whole  division 
was  enabled  to  gain  a  position  which  it  held  without  difficulty  till 
late  in  the  afternoon.  During  this  last  action  fell  the  gallant 
commander  of  the  First  Division,  the  hero  of  Rappahannock  Sta 
tion,  Gen.  David  Russell. 

There  was  now  a  period  of  seeming  inaction,  a  lull,  but  only  on 
the  surface.  Crook's  corps  was  now  sent  to  strike  the  Con 
federate  left,  which  it  did  simultaneously  with  the  cavalry  of 
Averill  and  Merritt  The  latter  charging  around  the  enemy's  left 
flank,  he  began  to  give  way.  The  brigades  of  Thoburn  and  Duval 
charged,  by  the  direct  command  of  Sheridan  himself,  through  the 
woods  in  their  front,  and  broke  Gordon's  division,  which  was  at 
this  point.  In  the  meanwhile  the  Sixth  and  Nineteenth,  as  soon 
as  firing  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy's  left  was  heard,  advanced  on 

their  fronts,  driving  the  force  before  them  wellnigh  into  the  town. 

****** 

The  exposure  of  our  infantry  line  was  such,  at  the  outset,  that 
the  ranks  were  fearfully  thinned,  and  the  movement  forward  to  fill 
the  gaps  in  the  line  was  attended  with  considerable  loss  of  officers 
and  men.  But  such  was  the  vim  of  the  regiments,  seemingly  in 
spired  by  the  presence,  here  and  there,  of  the  little  dark  man  on 
horseback,  that  the  enemy  were  driven  steadily  westward.  The 
advance  of  our  lines  showed  that  a  serious  loss  in  killed  had  been 
sustained  by  the  Confederates,  and  in  wounded  who  were  prisoners, 
not  less  than  one  thousand. 

They  now  seemed  resolved  to  contest  the  ground  between  this 
field  and  Winchester;  and  with  that  dash  and  energy  so  often 
previously  exhibited  by  them,  even  sought  to  recover  the  line  they 
had  yielded.  Now  for  an  hour  the  contest  raged  upon  the  plateau 
east  of  Winchester,  artillery  sweeping  the  enemy's  flanks,  and  a 
steady  infantry  fire  from  our  side.  Now  and  again  a  dropping  of 
infantry  lines,  and  a  discharge  of  cannon  shot  over  their  heads. 
During  this  time  their  loss  must  have  reached  a  thousand  more, 
and  there  was  a  gradual,  but  sure,  retrograde  movement  of  their 
lines.  Then,  Torbert's  cavalry  coming  in  upon  their  left  flank 
with  a  sweep,  drove  in  several  hundred  prisoners,  and  caused  a 

*  Aided  by  the  Fifth  Maine  Battery. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  I // 

general  stampede  of  their  army.  Their  loss  in  prisoners,  includ 
ing  the  wounded,  was  not  less  than  3,000.  Gen.  E.  O.  Upton, 
commanding  the  Third  Brigade  of  Russell's  division  of  the  Sixth 
Corps,  was  wounded.  We  had  noted  the  progress  of  this  officer 
from  a  first  lieutenant  of  light  artillery,  which  he  was  in  1861,  in 
the  artillery  brigade  of  Franklin's  division. 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

We  spent  the  night  of  the  iQth  in  the  outskirts  of  Winchester. 
These  were  busy  hours  for  the  surgeons,  and  when  morning  came, 
the  task  of  caring  for  the  wounded  being  still  unfinished,  and  the 
army  about  to  advance,  medical  details  were  left  to  complete  it. 
A  brigade  of  the  First  Division  of  the  Sixth  was  detained  in 
Winchester  to  hold  the  town  and  guard  the  prisoners. 

****** 

When  we  moved  through  the  town,  one  could  perceive  the  varying 
sentiments  of  the  women  of  that  place,  as  evinced  by  the  colors  dis 
played,  for  there  were  matrons  and  maids  who  wore  Union  emblems. 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

The  Sixth  Corps  was  the  infantry  advance  on  the  2Oth  ;  the 
march  of  twenty  miles  over  the  splendid  macadamized  pike  which 
leads  up  the  valley  from  Winchester,  was  made  between  daylight 
and  three  p.  M.  The  cavalry  in  three  p:rtions  had  preceded  us, 
respectively  taking  the  Front  Royal,  valley,  and  back  roads,  the 
latter  extending  south,  nearly  parallel  with  and  west  of  the  valley 
(macadamized)  road.  The  valley  road  crossed  Cedar  Creek  not  far 
from  its  junction  with  the  west  fork  of  the  Shenandoah,  which 
here  turns  abruptly  round  the  north  foot  of  the  Massanutten 
Mountains,  an  interloping  chain  which  divides  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  from  this  point  south  for  thirty  miles.  The  river  makes 
its  way  through  a  gulf  along  the  west  base  of  this  mountain  spur 
to  the  north  foot  of  a  dark,  lofty  peak,  around  which  it  sweeps  on 
its  way  to  Front  Royal. 

On  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  in  the  shadow  of  the  mountain, 
was  the  little  village  of  Strasburg.  The  land  rises  from  Cedar 
Creek  southward  to  a  ridge  over  which  the  valley  pike  and  the 
Manassas  Gap  Railroad  passed,  and  this  village  is  on  the  crest,  and 
in  the  gateway  between  Hupp's  Hill  on  the  west  and  the  river 
gulf  on  the  east.  The  valley  proper  at  this  place  is  not  more  than 
five  miles  wide.  Its  western  wall  is  the  Little  North  Mountain, 
12 


1/8  THE     STORY    OF    THE 

a  spurof  the  Alleghany ;  its  eastern,  the  triple-ridged  Massanutten. 
For  a  couple  of  miles  above  Strasburg,  the  surface  gradually  falls, 
by  hardly  perceptible  descent,  to  the  banks  of  Tumbling  Run,  the 
next  tributary  which  the  west  fork  receives  above  Cedar  Creek. 
Overhanging  Tumbling  Run  is  a  high,  steep  bluff,  which  seems 
here  upheaved  for  the  purpose  of  yet  further  narrowing  the 
valley  ;  this  is  Fisher's  Hill.  Along  the  run,  westward  to  the 
foot  of  Little  North  Mountain,  the  land  is  hilly  and  broken,  a 
rugged  stretch  of  land  for  four  miles.  Here,  the  flanks  guarded  by 
two  mountains,  the  Confederates  were  found  on  the  2Oth.  They 
had  intrenched  the  position  from  Fisher's  Hill,  toward  Little  North 
Mountain,  and  as  the  valley  pike,  passing  over  the  hill  by  a 
zigzag  course,  was  exposed  for  a  mile  to  the  fire  of  their  artillery, 
they  might  reasonably  regard  their  situation  one  of  great  strength. 
Between  three  and  four  o'clock  our  corps  crossed  Cedar  Creek,  as 
did  also  the  Nineteenth,  and  the  two  corps  occupied  the  high 
ground  just  north  of  Strasburg,  the  Sixth  upon  the  right  of  the 
line,  and  the  Nineteenth  extending  toward  the  Front  Royal  road. 
The  Eighth  Corps  was  approaching  upon  the  north  side  of  the  creek, 
but  was  halted  there  when  it  reached  the  banks  of  the  stream. 

The  picket  line  of  the  two  corps  that  evening  extended  across 
the  northern  edge  of  the  village.  The  enemy's  skirmishers  were 
within  easy  hailing  distance.  During  the  next  day  these  skir 
mishers  were  driven  back  to  their  defences  at  Fisher's  Hill.  It 
was  now  determined  by  the  general  commanding  to  seize  and  hold 
a  strong  line  on  the  front  and  right  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  looking 
across  Tumbling  Run,  confronting  the  main  position  of  the  Con 
federates.  This  was  effected,  after  several  temporary  checks,  by 
selected  troops  of  the  Second  and  Third  Divisions,  Sixth  Corps. 
Immediately  the  trees  at  this  place,  which  in  a  degree  hid  the 
Confederate  position  from  sight,  were  cut  down  by  the  pioneers, 
who  also  prepared  the  way  for  the  batteries  of  the  corps.  The 
corps  was  firmly  established  on  this  important  line  along  Tumbling 
Run.  This  task  having  consumed  the  night  of  the  2ist,  owing  to 
the  broken  surface  of  the  ground,  the  ravines,  knolls,  and  ledges, 
which  are  features  of  this  section,  in  the  morning  the  Nineteenth 
Corps  was  placed  in  the  position  the  Sixth  had  occupied  on  the 
2 1  st.  Now  Ricketts's  division  of  our  corps,  which  was  on  the 
right  of  the  command,  was  moved  farther  to  the  front,  having, 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY. 

with  the  aid  of  the  three  rifle  batteries  of  the  corps,  driven  in  the 
enemy's  skirmish  line.  The  other  two  divisions  of  the  Sixth, 
with  their  artillery,  were  now  moved  to  the  right  and  front,  being 
closely  connected,  our  battery  being  in  the  centre  of  the  line  of 
artillery  of  the  Sixth  Corps.  The  line  thus  gained  on  the  ridge 
overlooking  the  ravine  was  less  than  3,000  feet  from  the  trenches 
on  the  slope  of  Fisher's  Hill.  But  our  commander-in-chief  designed 
to  repeat  the  tactics  so  successfully  employed  upon  the  iQth  of 
September,  and  to  flank  the  Confederate  position  by  its  left,  in 
spite  of  the  argus  eyes  on  Three  Top  looking  down  on  both  camps. 
Having  sent  Torbert  with  his  cavalry  up  Luray  Valley  with  the 
design  of  crossing  the  Massanutten,  and  gaining  the  enemy's  rear, 
he  had  directed  Crook  with  his  Eighth  Corps  to  move  along 
Little  North  Mountain  under  cover  of  the  woods,  till  he  should 
gain  the  rear  of  the  Confederates.  This  required  for  its  accom 
plishment  nearly  all  day ;  but  at  six  o'clock,  having  reached,  without 
the  Confederates  having  the  faintest  suspicion  of  his  presence, 
the  rear  of  their  left  flank,  his  divisions  swept  along,  taking  the 
Confederate  line  "  in  reverse,"  drove  the  astonished  cavalry,  which 
was  dismounted,  before  them,  and  rushed  into  the  intrenchments. 

Says  one  of  Crook's  officers,  "  Had  the  heavens  opened,  and 
had  we  been  descending  from  the  clouds,  no  greater  consternation 
would  have  been  created." 

Now  the  Nineteenth  and  the  Sixth  (Ricketts  having  joined  his 
right  to  Crook's  left),  took  up  the  charge,  descended  into  Tum 
bling  Run,  made  a  precipitous  dash  over  rocks  and  walls,  and 
scrambled  up  the  height  which  an  hour  ago  seemed  impregnable. 
Sheridan  and  his  staff  were  ubiquitous,  the  general  shouting  :  "  Go 
on  !  Don't  stop  !  Go  on  !  "  The  whole  Confederate  line  broke  from 
its  trenches.  They  had  not  time  to  get  their  guns  which  com 
manded  the  pike  out  of  position  ;  sixteen  of  them  were  captured  by 
our  forces.  Our  loss  was  not  more  than  400;  the  Confederate  loss, 
over  1,300.  Comrade  Longley  of  our  battery  received  a  scalp  wound. 

In  his  report  three  days  afterward,  Gen.  Early  said  :  "  My  troops 
are  very  much  shattered,  the  men  very  much  exhausted,  and  many 
of  them  without  shoes."  In  his  report,  the  Federal  commander 
spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  his  lieutenants,  Generals  Crook, 
Wright,  and  Emory.  On  receipt  of  the  news  of  this  victory,  Gen. 
Grant  ordered  a  salute  of  100  guns,  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 


180  THE     STORY    OF    THE 


ROSTER. 


SIXTH    ARMY    CORPS. 

September  19  and  22,  1864. 


MAJ.    GEN.  HORATIO  G.  WRIGHT,  Commanding. 

FIRST   DIVISION. 

BRIG.  GEN.  DAVID  A.  RUSSELL. 

First  Brigade. —  COL.  Wai.  H.  PENROSE,  4th,  loth,  and  I5th  New  Jersey  Vol 
unteers. 

Second  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  EMORY  A.  UPTON,  2d  Connecticut  Heavy 
Artillery,  65th,  6;th,  and  I2ist  New  York  Infantry,  and 
95th  and  96th  Pennsylvania. 

Third  Brigade. —  COL.  OLIVER  EDWARDS,  7th,  loth,  and  37th  Massachusetts 
Volunteers,  23d,  49th,  82d,  and  H9th  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers,  2d  Rhocje  Island  Battalion,  and  Wisconsin  Battalion. 

SECOND    DIVISION. 

BRIG.  GEN.  GEO.  W.  GETTY. 

First  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  FRANK  WHEATON,  62d  New  York  Volunteers 
and  93d,  98th,  iO2d,  and  I39th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

Second  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  L.  A.  GRANT,  2d,  3d,  4th,  5th,  6th,  and  nth 
Vermont  Volunteers. 

Third  Brigade. —  BRIG.  GEN.  D.  D.  BIDWELL,  7th  Maine  Volunteers,  43d, 
49th,  77th,  I22d  New  York  Volunteers,  and  6ist  Pennsyl 
vania  Volunteers. 

THIRD  DIVISION. 

BRIG.  GEN.  JAS.  B.  RICKETTS. 
First  Brigade. — COL.  WM.  EMERSON,  I4th  New  Jersey,  io6th  and  I5ist  New 

York,  87th  Pennsylvania,  and  loth  Vermont. 
Second  Brigade. — COL.  J.  W.  KEIFER,  6th  Maryland,  9th  New  York  Heavy 

Artillery,  iioth,  I22d,  and   [26th  Ohio,  and  67th  and  I38th 

Pennsylvania. 

ARTILLERY    BRIGADE. 

COL.  CHARLES  H.  TOMPKINS. 

Maine  Light  Artillery,  5th  Battery;  ist  Massachusetts  Light  Artillery,  Bat 
tery  A  ;  New  York  Light  Artillery,  ist  Battery;  ist  Rhode  Island  Light 
Artillery,  Battery  C;  ist  Rhode  Island  Light  Artillery,  Battery  G  ;  5th 
United  States,  Battery  M. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  l8l 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


AN  immediate  pursuit  commenced, — the  Federal  infantry  and 
artillery  hastening  along  the  pike,  from  Strasburg  up  the 
Shenandoah,  through  Edenburg,  onward,  the  livelong  night, 
reaching  Woodstock  at  early  morning.  What  a  solid  mass  of 
troops  was  here,  drawn  into  the  field  on  the  east  side  of  the  pike, — 
artillery  in  close  order,  and  regiments  likewise. 

The  men  were  somewhat  tired,  we  judge,  as  riders  would  be  seen 
to  throw  themselves  down,  drop  to  sleep,  and  anon  jump  to  their 
feet  when  some  lead  or  swing  horses  would  vigorously  shake  their 
chains. 

It  would  seem  that  the  Sixth  must  have  had  the  lead  on  the  night 
of  the  25th,  for  just  before  we  again  drew  out  into  column,  we  saw 
infantry  arrive,  men  of  which  we  recognized  as  belonging  to  the 
Thirty-fifth  Massachusetts,  which  was  in  the  Nineteenth  Corps. 

When  we  resumed  the  march,  it  was  at  a  trot,  and  this  con 
tinued  through  the  forenoon,  on  through  Lacey's  Spring  and 
Sparta.  If  less  rapid  in  the  afternoon,  all  day  on  the  26th,  a 
steady  pursuit,  so  also  was  it  on  the  2/th,  reaching,  we  believe,  at 
the  close  of  that  day,  Newmarket,  where  we  rested  till  the  follow 
ing  dawn.  We  went  into  camp  somewhat  before  nightfall  on  the 
28th  of  September,  being  then  something  like  a  hundred  miles  up 
the  Shenandoah. 

During  the  three  delightful  autumn  days  that  remained  in 
September,  we  continued  in  Harrisonburg.  Hospital  tents  were 
pitched,  meanwhile,  and  those  of  the  wounded  and  sick  whom  it 
had  been  practicable  to  bring  forward  from  Strasburg  were  cared 
for  therein.  The  cavalry  was  sent  to  Staunton,  to  the  southeast, 
near  a  pass  in  the  Blue  Ridge,  destroying  provisions  and 
munitions,  then  to  Waynesboro. 


1 82  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

On  the  ist  of  October,  the  first  division  of  the  Sixth  Co^ps 
made  a  ten  mile  expedition  to  Mount  Crawford.  Southwest  of 
Harrisonburg  our  company  bivouacked  on  the  banks  of  the  Shen- 
andoah  in  that  hamlet.  What  a  dreamy  life  one  must  lead,  up  here, 
in  the  time  of  peace.  Our  boys  answered  their  last  evening  roll- 
call  the  next  night  at  Harrisonburg. 

The  long  supply  train  from  Martinsburg,  with  its  cavalry  and 
infantry  escort,  had  arrived  at  this  place  during  our  absence,  had 
unladen,  and  was  ready  on  the  3d  of  October  to  retrace  its  long, 
toilsome,  guerilla-infested  route  to  Winchester  and  beyond.  We 
were  to  pack  our  simple  effects,  shake  hands  with  our  comrades, 
who  were  thenceforth  to  be  attached  to  Company  M,  Fifth 
United  States  Artillery,  or  other  batteries  of  this  corps,  —  those 
brave  men  who  had  elected  to  continue  in  the  field, —  and  join  the 
three  mile  procession  down  the  valley.  Many  a  message  and  token 
we  received  to  be  transmitted  to  the  loved  ones  at  home,  from 
their  heroes  whom  we  left  here,  —  many  an  exchange  of  good 
wishes.  If  we  were  too  old  to  cry,  we  yet  looked  passing  grave. 

'  T  was  a  curious  cavalcade  that  wound  down  the  valley  road  that 
October  afternoon :  cavalry,  army  wagons,  infantry,  Confederate 
prisoners,  refugees,  contrabands,  destined  to  receive  accessions 
along  the  route.  The  motion  of  the  immense  train  was  like  the 
lazy  crawl  of  a  huge  serpent  just  before  he  enters  the  comatose 
state,  and  is  still  able  to  devour  and  bolt  another  kid ;  it  could 
halt  easily,  with  slight  reaction,  to  absorb  a  contraband's  cart 
loaded  with  a  hen-coop,  kettles,  and  bedquilts,  and  shiny  little 
elves  packed  among  the  truck,  or  a  carriage  bearing  the  wife  and 
children  of  a  refugee,  or  a  knot  of  Dunkers  or  Mennonites,  who 
were  en  route  for  Maryland  or  Pennsylvania. 

The  necessary  work  of  destruction  of  barns  and  stacks,  the 
country  wide,  had  now  commenced,  and  of  an  evening,  if  we  hap 
pened  to  camp  upon  a  rise  which  commanded  an  extensive  view  of 
the  surrounding  country,  one  could  mark  a  line  of  blazing  heaps 
on  either  hand  and  before  him.  Clean  work  was  done.  "  If  a  crow 
should  fly  up  the  valley  he  must  carry  his  rations  with  him." 
The  camp  at  night,  we  fancy,  must  have  resembled  that  of  an  emi 
grant  train  on  the  plains,  in  ante-Pacific  Railroad  times, —  the 
wagons  forming  the  barriers ;  the  horses  and  drivers,  the  prisoners, 
contrabands,  and  refugees  within  the  square ;  the  guard  properly 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  183 

posted  without  and  around.  We  believe  it  was  on  the  third  day 
of  the  march,  and  between  Mount  Jackson  and  Edenburg,  that 
there  were  signs  of  irregular  troopers  following  our  trail ;  they 
seem  to  have  come  up  on  the  west  side  of  a  low  range  of  hills 
some  distance  to  the  left  of  our  road  as  we  were  moving  north. 
The  train  had  halted,  and  Gen.  Dudley,  who  had  ridden  to  the 
ridge,  shouted  to  send  up  a  company  of  infantry.  These  soldiers 
had  only  to  exhibit  themselves,  to  cause  a  stampede  of  the  bush 
whackers.  The  latter  or  any  of  that  ilk  did  not  afterwards 
appear. 

Late  on  the  evening  of  the  6th  of  October,  we  drew  into  Win 
chester  and  learned  upon  the  following  morning  that  we  were  to 
spend  the  day  in  the  town.  We  sallied  forth  on  a  round  of  inspec 
tion  of  the  place.  Entering  an  old  time  Virginia  warehouse  to 
which  some  show  of  trade  seemed  to  have  survived,  we  found  a 
portly  gentleman,  a  citizen  unmistakably,  communicating  some 
intelligence  to  the  clerk,  which  importantly  concerned  his  em 
ployer.  "Tell  Mr. immediately"  said  he,  and  departed.  A 

moment  later,  a  couple  of  buxom  lasses  entered.  One  of  them 
said  to  the  other,  a  healthy  looking  blonde:  "So  this  is  your 
store,"  to  which  the  blonde  assented.  Then  the  old  cjerk,  leaning 
over  the  counter,  addressing  her  in  a  low  tone,  but  audibly  to  us, 
informed  her  that  "  Alf  was  brought  in  a  prisoner."  "  He  is  n't !  " 
said  she.  "  Yes,  they  have  him  at  the  court-house ;  go  tell  your 
ma." 

****** 

The  clerk  could  not  change  a  greenback,  having  only  Virginia 
bills.  So  we  passed  along  the  street  to  a  sutler's  shop,  which  like 
many  another  was  located  in  some  warerooms  which  had  been 
without  a  tenant,  and  then  we  hurried  off  to  the  court-house. 
There,  on  the  green,  before  the  institution,  were  the  Confederate 
prisoners  who  had  arrived  with  us  on  the  previous  evening. 
Conspicuous  among  them  was  Alf,  a  lad  of  sixteen  or  seventeen. 
He  was  being  caressed  by  the  blonde  and  by  an  elderly  lady, 
evidently  his  sister  and  mother.  Happy  Alf!  he  seemed  not  to 
regret  his  captivity.  He  looked  remarkably  cheerful  the  next 
morning,  fresh,  wholesome,  and  contented,  when  we  resumed  the 
march  to  Mar  tins  burg.  We  were  all  day  upon  the  route,  never 
having,  all  things  considered,  made  a  more  tedious  jaunt. 


1 84  THE      STORY     OF     THE 

After  soft-tack  and  coffee,  on  the  morning  of  the  8th,  being  yet 
in  Martinsburg,  we  learned  that  there  was  no  available  means  of 
transporting  the  company  to  Baltimore.  Our  coaches  would  be 
freight  cars,  when  there  should  be  any  empty.  So  we  lingered 
here  till  near  night,  when  through  our  captain's  efforts,  the  post- 
quartermaster  promised  us  some  cars,  provided  we  would  unload 
them.  This  we  proceeded  to  do  with  alacrity  ;  then  the  quarter 
master  said,  if  we  were  so  anxious  to  depart  that  we  were  willing 
to  perform  this  labor,  he  would  find  us  some  cars  without  im 
posing  the  task.  This  was  queer,  but  cars  were  pointed  out  to 
us,  and  by  lamplight  we  were  steaming  over  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio. 

The  old  baggage  car  rang  the  night  long  with  army  songs.  No 
one  was  disposed  to  sleep,  no  one,  we  believe,  had  slept  when  the 
frosty  morning  found  us  on  a  side  track  perhaps  fifty  miles  from 
Baltimore.  We  remember  of  accepting  an  invitation  to  drink 
a  cup  of  coffee,  and  eat  some  boiled  cabbage  and  brown  bread, 
hospitably  offered  by  a  section  hand  in  a  cot  near  the  track 
whereon  the  train  halted.  It  was  Sunday  morning,  and  the  good 
man  was  breakfasting  at  his  leisure.  We  made  sundry  halts  of 
greater  or  less  length  during  the  day,  so  that  it  was  evening  when 
we  entered  the  station  at  Baltimore.  We  passed  the  night  at  the 
Soldiers'  Rest,  where  were  many  wounded  soldiers  who  were 
perhaps  at  such  a  stage  of  convalescence  as  permitted  of  their 
going  home  a  short  time  to  recuperate.  We  departed  betimes  on 
the  morrow  for  Philadelphia,  crossing  the  Susquehanna  at  Havre 
de  Grace  in  the  same  huge  railroad  ferry-boat  that  brought  us 
over  from  Port  Deposit  in  1861. 

At  Wilmington,  certain  signs  of  lively  festivity  attracted  our 
attention  from  the  car  windows,  and  some  of  the  boys  who  were 
engaged  in  the  affair  told  our  captain,  who  inquired  from  his  seat 
as  to  the  nature  of  the  demonstrations,  that  it  was  a  McClellan 
jubilee. 

****** 

There  was  a  delay  of  several  hours  in  Philadelphia,  during 
which  the  boys  wandered  at  will  in  the  town,  the  captain  giving 
the  passes  to  Sergeant ,  that  we  might  be  able  to  get  con 
veyance  at  the  appointed  time  in  case  our  commander  should 
be  longer  detained.  But  when  we  were  in  waiting  a  moment 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  185 

before  the  departure  of  the  train,  our  captain  was  with  us,  but  the 
sergeant  was  wanting;  when  he  appeared,  just  as  the  train  was 
about  to  move,  the  captain  observed  that  there  would  have  been 
some  tall  swearing  had  not  the  "  non-commish  "  put  in  his  appear 
ance  at  that  critical  moment. 

All  "  boys  in  blue  "  who  came  from  east  of  the  Hudson,  remem 
ber  the  "New  England  Rooms"  in  New  York  City;  and  opposite 
the  Astor  House,  Col.  Frank  Howe's  rooms  in  three  stories  of  a 
house,  we  believe,  were  devoted  to  the  reception  and  entertain 
ment  of  soldiers  of  the  Eastern  States  who  were  passing  through 
the  metropolis.  A  comfortable  resting  place  we  found  it  for  a 
day  and  two  nights,  previous  to  our  departure  by  the  inside  line 
for  Boston  via  Stonington. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  Hub,  those  who  lived  in  its  vicinity  re 
paired  to  their  homes,  and  the  other  comrades  whose  abodes  were 
at  a  distance  remained  in  town,  all  having  received  orders  to  be  at 
the- old  armory  of  the  Boston  Light  Artillery  in  Cooper  Street,  at 
one  o'clock,  p.  M. 

****** 

We  were  received  on  the  common  by  Battery  A,  M.  V.  M.,  and 
escorted  to  the  armory  in  Cooper  Street,  a  reception  by  the  city 
there  being  accorded  us.  Mayor  Lincoln  presided,  welcomed  the 
company  to  the  hospitality  of  the  city,  which  was  tendered  upon 
this  occasion,  spoke  appreciatively  of  the  service  of  the  battery, 
and  thanked  officers  and  men.  Capt.  McCartney  fittingly  re 
sponded,  feelingly  alluding  to  the  departed  comrades  and  to  our 
veterans  who  were  yet  at  the  front.  At  the  close  of  the  exercises, 
we  separated  for  our  homes,  to  meet  but  once  more  as  a  company, 
—  on  the  igth  of  October,  when  we  were  mustered  out. 

****** 

This  command  left  the  old  Bay  State  with  five  officers  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty-two  men,  whose  average  age  at  that  time  was 
twenty-five  years.  Of  our  original  number,  we  lost  during  more 
than  three  years,  thirty-three  and  one  third  per  cent,  by  death  in 
action,  or  from  the  effects  of  disease  brought  on  by  hardships  or 
exposure,  or  on  account  of  wounds  received  in  battle,  or  of  dis 
abilities  contracted  in  the  line  of  duty.  During  its  term  of  service, 
our  company  carried  on  its  rolls  eleven  commissioned  officers, 
forty-five  non-commissioned  officers,  and  two  hundred  and  sixty- 


1 86  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

three  privates.  During  the  hardships,  privations,  and  dangers  in 
cident  to  the  long  service  shared  by  the  battery,  we  know  of  no 
man  ever  shirking  the  duty  assigned  him.  We  are  sure  that  the 
conscience  of  each  comrade  is  clear,  in  realizing  that  he  was  faith 
ful,  in  the  hour  of  peril,  to  the  most  beneficent  government  on 
earth. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  l8/ 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


WE  left  at  Harrisonburg,  October  3,  1864,  not  only  those  men 
originally  recruited  for  our  company,  whose  terms  of 
service  had  not  expired,  and  those  who  belonged  to  the  Sixteenth 
New  York  Volunteers  and  had  been  attached  to  our  command 
since  the  departure  of  their  regiment,  but  also  our  veterans  who  had 
re-enlisted  at  Brandy  Station  in  the  spring.  This  roll  of  honor 
embraced  the  names  of  Charles  Appleton,  Joseph  H.  Marea, 
Henry  Smitherman,  Richard  J.  Isaacs,  Wm.  Hanscom,  Martin  V. 
dishing,  Nicholas  G.  Lynch,  Joseph  Barnes,  George  Barnard, 
Alonzo  Sackett,  Chester  Ellis,  Jno.  H.  Burnham,  Jno.  Carter, 
David  Covell,  Matthew  Adams,  R.  P.  Charters,  Jno.  W.  Chase, 
Daniel  Benham,  Willard  Chaffin,  Chas.  Edwards,  T.  F.  Longley, 
Henry  S.  Marsh,  Jno.  Magee,  Wm.  F.  Ward,  Wm.  White,  Geo. 
Howes.  The  first  named  comrade  was  killed  in  the  memorable 
fight  of  the  igth  of  October,  the  second  was  mortally  wounded, 
and  it  is  said  he  was  borne  from  the  field  upon  the  back  of  Com 
rade  Lynch,  who  ministered  to  him  in  his  last  moments. 

During  the  next  fortnight  after  the  departure  of  the  long  train 
from  Harrisonburg,  Sheridan,  having  pursued  the  remnant  of  the 
enemy  to  Port  Republic,  and  having  sent  his  cavalry  east  and 
west  destroying  provisions  and  munitions,  retired  down  the  valley 
burning  all  the  grain  and  forage  that  remained,  as  he  passed,  so 
that  the  enemy  should  find  no  subsistence  there.  He  had  reached 
Cedar  Creek  and  encamped  upon  its  banks  on  the  I5th  of  October, 
and,  apprehending  no  danger,  had  gone  upon  a  visit  to  Wash 
ington. 

Early,  reinforced,  having  stealthily  followed  down  the  valley, 
determined  to  surprise  the  unsuspecting  army  before  him.  In 
this  he  succeeded  perfectly,  flanking  the  Eighth  Corps  on  both 


1 88  THE     STORY     OF     THE 

sides  in  the  dense  darkness,  and  rushing  into  the  camps  with  a 
fearful  yell,  just  before  daylight,  October  19;  and  in  less  than  a 
half  hour,  this  Federal  corps  was  fleeing,  panic-stricken,  having 
lost  24  guns  and  1,200  prisoners.  Sheridan  was  at  Winchester  on 
his  return  when  the  disastrous  tidings  met  him,  and,  riding  at  full 
speed,  reached  his  beaten  army  at  10  o'clock,  A.  M.  He  spent  two 
hours  in  reviving  the  spirits  of  his  men,  and  after  repulsing  a  fresh 
attack  on  his  left,  ordered  at  3  P.  M.  a  general  advance,  which  was 
successfully  made,  followed  by  a  second  charge,  which  was  still 
more  successful, —  though  the  Confederates  opposed  to  them 
nearly  all  the  cannon  of  both  armies, —  facing  the  foe  to  the  rear 
and  driving  them  through  Staunton,  recovering  the  24  guns  lost  in 
the  morning  and  taking  23  others,  with  1,500  prisoners. 

The  following  sketches,  which  we  believe  to  be  authentic,  were 
contributed,  the  one  in  1878,  and  the  other  six  years  earlier,  to  the 
history  of  the  Shenandoah  campaign.  We  regret  that  we  cannot 
give  the  names  of  the  authors,  but  are  pleased  to  present  them 
here,  as  descriptive  of  the  action  in  which  our  comrades,  Charles 
Appleton  and  Joseph  Marea,  were  killed. 

****** 

"  The  Federal  Army  of  the  Shenandoah  was  encamped  October 
19,  1864,  on  Cedar  Creek  ;  during  the  absence  of  its  commander 
it  was  surprised  at  daylight  at  Alacken,  by  the  Confederate  army, 
under  Gen.  Early,  its  left  flank  turned  and  driven  in  confusion, 
the  remainder  of  the  army  retiring,  yet  in  good  order.  Gen. 
Wright,  in  command  at  the  time,  after  having  succeeded  in 
restoring  something  like  order  among  the  surprised  troops,  seeing 
that  the  position  they  had  fallen  back  to  was  an  exposed  one, 
ordered  a  general  retreat  to  enable  him  to  restore  communications. 
The  retreat  was  conducted  in  good  order,  and  Gen.  Wright  had 
halted  and  restored  his  lines,  when,  at  10  A.  M.,  Gen.  Sheridan, 
who  had  heard  of  the  disaster  at  Winchester,  arrived  on  the  field. 
He  was  informed  by  Gen.  Wright  of  the  dispositions  made  by 
him,  of  which  he  approved.  The  pursuit  by  the  Confederate 
army  had  ceased,  the  men  being  occupied  in  plundering  the  camps 
of  the  Eighth  and  Nineteenth  Corps.  Gen.  Sheridan  arrived 
there  to  find  that  his  army  had  been  surprised  and  routed,  but  he 
found  that  the  worst  was  over,  the  line  reformed,  and  the  army 
not  demoralized.  His  presence  lent  an  inspiring  effect,  so  that, 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  189 

making  his  line  as  compact  as  possible,  an  attack  made  upon  it  at 
one  P.  M.  was  successfully  repulsed.  At  three  p.  M.,  after  making 
some  charges  with  his  cavalry,  he  attacked  the  Confederates  with 
great  vigor,  driving  and  routing  them,  and  capturing  50  pieces 
of  cannon,  including  20  pieces  of  his  own  lost  in  the  morning, 
with  about  2,000  prisoners,  besides  releasing  many  of  our  men  who 
had  been  captured  in  the  morning.  The  cavalry  drove  them  yet 
further  the  next  day.  During  that  night  Early  retreated,  and  the 
military  operations  in  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah  were  at  an 
end." 

****** 

"  Early's  attack  was  made  under  cover  of  a  dense  fog,  and  the 
darkness  of  early  morning.  The  troops  were  driven  four  miles. 
Gen.  Wright,  the  Union  commander,  though  wounded,  still 
remained  on  the  field,  and  managed  to  get  his  troops  in  a  new 
position  in  the  rear.  Sheridan  heard  the  cannonading  thirteen 
miles  away,  at  Winchester.  Knowing  the  importance  of  his 
presence,  he  put  spurs  to  his  coal-black  steed,  and  never  drew 
rein  until,  his  horse  covered  with  foam,  he  dashed  upon  the  battle 
field.  Riding  down  the  lines,  he  shouted:  'Turn,  boys,  turn  ! 
We  're  going  back.'  *  Under  the  magnetism  of  his  presence,  the 
fugitives  rallied  and  followed  him  to  the  fight  and  victory." 
****** 

Just  one  month  after  the  battle  of  Opequon,  or  the  commence 
ment  of  Sheridan's  campaign  in  the  valley,  the  campaign  certainly 
unsurpassed  in  brilliancy  by  any  other  of  the  war,  was  brought  to 
an  end.  The  Confederate  army  of  the  valley  was  in  effect 
destroyed  ;  Maryland  was  never  more  invaded  or  the  capital 
again  menaced. 

The  old  Sixth  Corps  returned  to  the  James  to  participate  in  the 
closing  scenes  of  the  war.  Its  record  thenceforth  was  a  continu 
ation  of  that  story  of  faithful  and  honorable  service  which  had 
justly  given  it  distinction  from  the  date  of  its  institution  in  the 
spring  of  1862. 

*  One  of  the  panic-stricken,  that  day,  says:   "  What  Sheridan  really  said  was,  '  Turn  about,  you  d d 

cowardly  curs,  or  I  '11  cut  you  down  !  I  don't  expect  you  to  fight,  but  come  and  see  men  (referring  to  the 
Sixth  Corps)  who  like  to.'  He  was  recognized,  and  there  was  a  shout,  '  It  is  Sheridan !  '  The  effect  was 
electrical ;  we  turned  and  moved  southward  with  even  more  alacrity  than  we  had  displayed  in  retreating  " 


IQO  SKETCHES. 


GEN.   WM.    FARRAR    SMITH 

Was  born  in  St.  Albans,  Vt.,  February  17,  1824.  He  graduated  at 
West  Point,  July  I,  1845,  and  was  immediately  appointed  brevet 
second  lieutenant  of  topographical  engineers  ;  he  performed  im 
portant  work  incident  to  that  branch  of  the  military  service.  Subse 
quently  Lieut.  Smith  was  assistant  professor  of  mathematics  at  West 
Point.  In  1848,  he  was  engaged  in  surveys  upon  the  Mexican  fron 
tier,  and  later  in  Florida.  Thus  occupied  until  1855,  he  was  again 
instructor  at  the  Military  Academy. 

****** 

Five  days  before  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Smith  was  commissioned 
colonel  of  the  Third  Vermont;  was  engaged  on  the  2ist  of  July, 
1861,  serving  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  McDowell.  August  13,  Col. 
Smith  was  made  brigadier  general  of  volunteers,  and  during  the  win 
ter  of  1861,  commanded  the  Vermont  brigade,  then  in  Sumner's  divi 
sion.  He  led  this  command  at  Lee's  Mills,  the  most  important 
incident  of  the  siege  of  Yorktown.  He  participated  in  the  battle 
of  Williamsburg,  as  commander  of  a  division  in  Sumner's  corps. 

Upon  the  formation  of  the  Sixth  Army  Corps,  Gen.  Smith's 
command  was  transferred  to  that  organization.  His  division  was 
engaged  at  Savage's  Station,  and  at  White  Oak  Creek  it  was  the 
stubborn  resistance  of  Smith's  artillery  and  infantry  that  pre 
vented  Jackson  from  crossing  and  uniting  his  forces  with  those  of 
Longstreet,  at  Charles  City  Cross  Roads.  Gen.  Smith  participated 
in  the  affair  at  Malvern  Hill.  He  was  promoted  to  a  major  gen 
eralship  in  July,  1862.  Gen.  Smith  led  the  Second  Division  of  the 
Sixth  Corps,  at  Crampton's  Gap,  in  Maryland  ;  and  at  Antietam 
his  division,  coming  to  the  relief  of  Sedgwick  and  Crawford,  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  i/th  of  September,  made  the  memorable  success 
ful  charge  that  drove  back  the  Confederates  upon  their  left.  In  the 
battle  of  the  I3th  of  December,  1862,  on  the  Rappahannock,  Gen. 
Smith  commanded  the  Sixth  Corps,  the  right  of  the  Left  Grand 
Division.  After  the  Fredericksburg  campaign,  he  was  transferred 
to  the  command  of  the  Ninth  Corps. 

****** 

Gen.  Smith  was  chief  engineer  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland, 
in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1863,  and  directed  the  work  of  capturing 


SKETCHES.  191 

the  heights  overlooking  Brown's  Ferry  below  Chattanooga.  He 
subsequently  participated  in  the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge. 

Returning  to  the  department  of  Virginia  in  March,  1864,  he 
was  placed  in  command  of .  the  Eighteenth  Corps  ;  rendered  im 
portant  service  at  Cold  Harbor,  June  i  to  3,  and  was  conspicuous  in 
the  events  incident  to  the  siege  of  Petersburg.  Gen.  Smith 
resigned  his  commission  in  the  volunteer  service  in  1865,  and  in 
the  regular  army  in  1867.  He  is  at  present  president  of  the  police 
commission  of  the  city  of  New  York. 

GEN.    JNO.  SEDGWICK 

Was  born  in  Cornwall,  Ct.,  September  13,  1813.  Graduated  at 
West  Point,  July,  1837.  In  tnis  Year>  as  a  junior  second  lieutenant 
of  artillery,  he  made  a  campaign  against  the  Seminoles  in  Florida. 
Subsequently  he  served  upon  the  northern  frontier  in  the  Canada 
border  troubles.  Young  Sedgwick  accompanied  Scott's  expedition 
to  Vera  Cruz,  and  participated  in  the  battles  that  followed  the 
surrender  of  that  port,  winning  for  gallantry  displayed  at  Cerro 
Gordo,  Churubusco,  Molino  del  Rey  and  Chapultepec,  the  brevets 
of  captain  and  major.  He  was  present  during  the  assault  upon 
the  Mexican  capital,  and  at  its  capture.  He  was  made  lieutenant 
colonel  of  cavalry  in  the  Second  United  States ;  afterward,  in  the 
same  year,  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  First  United  States 
Cavalry ;  this  was  in  August,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  that  month, 
he  was  made  brigadier  general  of  volunteers.  During  the  fall 
and  winter  of  1861,  Gen.  Sedgwick  commanded  a  brigade  of 
Heintzelman's  division.  In  the  Peninsula  campaign,  he  was  at 
the  head  of  a  division  of  Sumner's  Corps,  which  participated  in 
the  siege  of  Yorktown,  and  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  where  their 
arrival  after  a  toilsome  march  largely  contributed  to  the  favorable 
ending  of  that  engagement.  His  command  distinguished  itself  at 
Savage's  Station,  June  29,  and  at  Fraser's  Farm,  June  30,  where 
its  general  was  wounded,  as  he  was  also  three  times,  severely,  at 
Antietam.  The  wounds  received  at  this  place  deprived  the  nation 
of  his  services  until  the  following  December. 

The  changes  of  corps  commanders  which  resulted  from  the 
change  in  the  chief  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  after 


IQ2  SKETCHES. 

the  winter  of  1862,  found  Gen.  Sedgwick  at  the  head  of  the  Sixth 
Corps,  as  the  commander  of  which  he  is  known  to  fame.  In  May, 
1863,  he  was  ordered  by  Gen.  Hooker  to  carry  the  heights  of 
Fredericksburg,  and  form  a  junction  with  the  main  army  at 
Chancellorsville.  The  town  was  occupied  on  Sunday  morning, 
May  3,  with  little  opposition,  but  the  storming  of  the  heights 
behind  it  cost  the  lives  of  several  thousand  men.  The  advance  of 
the  Sixth  Corps  was  checked  at  Salem  Heights  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  by  a  superior  force  detached  by  Gen.  Lee,  from 
the  main  army  confronting  Hooker.  The  force  opposing  Gen. 
Sedgwick  was  further  strengthened  the  next  morning,  May  4,  and 
it  was  only  by  great  skill  and  hard  fighting  that  the  general  was 
able  to  hold  his  ground  during  the  day,  and  to  withdraw  at  night 
across  the  Rappahannock. 

*  *  *  .      *  *  * 

On  the  evening  of  June  30,  1863,  the  Sixth  Corps,  the  right  of 
the  army  following  the  movements  of  Lee,  was  at  Manchester, 
northwest  of  Baltimore,  thirty-five  miles  from  Gettysburg ;  the 
events  of  the  hour  demanding  the  concentration  of  the  army  at 
the  last  place,  the  Sixth  Corps  made  the  march  thither  in  twenty 
hours,  arriving  before  two  p.  M.,  July  2.  The  corps  participated 
thenceforth  in  the  action  of  the  2d  and  3d  of  July. 

****** 

Gen.  Sedgwick  commanded  the  right  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac  at  Rappahannock  Station,  November  7 ;  also  at  Mine  Run, 
November  26  to  December  7,  1863. 

****** 

Gen.  Sedgwick  was  conspicuous  in  the  battles  of  the  Wilder 
ness,  and  those  at  Spottsylvania.  On  the  loth  of  May,  1864,  ne 
was  killed  by  the  bullet  of  a  sharpshooter.  He  was  universally 
beloved.  In  the  Sixth  Corps  he  was  known  as  "  Uncle  John," 
and  his  death  cast  a  gloom  over  that  command  which  was  never 
dispelled.  A  monument  wrought  of  cannon  captured  by  the 
Sixth  Corps,  was  erected  to  his  memory  at  West  Point. 

JOSIAH    PORTER 

Was  born  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  in  1830.  He  graduated  from 
Harvard  College  in  1852,  and  we  believe  was  a  classmate  of  the 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  1 93 

lamented  Col.  Paul  Revere,  who  fell  at  Gettysburg.  After  gradu 
ation  Porter  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
courts  of  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts.  He  early  evinced 
great  interest  in  military  affairs,  becoming  in  1852  a  member  of  the 
Boston  Light  Artillery.  In  1861,  when  the  Massachusetts  militia 
was  called  to  the  defence  of  the  capital,  Porter  was  first  lieutenant 
of  the  Light  Artillery  Corps,  with  which  he  had  early  connected 
himself ;  he  accompanied  that  command  as  its  second  officer,  and 
served  with  honor  during  the  term  of  enlistment  of  his  company. 
The  scene  of  its  operations  was  central  Maryland,  being  in  the 
department  commanded  by  Gen.  Butler.  Lieut.  Porter,  whose 
urbanity  made  him  ever  popular  with  officers  and  men,  seems  to 
have  been  a  local  authority  as  a  tactician,  when  the  battery  first 
entered  the  service,  and  this  fact,  doubtless,  had  due  influence  in 
causing  his  selection  for  the  command  of  the  First  Massachusetts 
Light  Battery.  Capt.  Porter  evinced  great  executive  ability  in 
the  arduous  work  of  recruiting,  mustering,  equipping,  and  instruct 
ing  his  command,  and  the  condition  and  appearance  of  the  corps 
at  the  moment  of  departure  for  the  South  furnished  ample  con 
firmation  of  this.  He  was  at  the  time  the  recipient  of  an  elegant 
sword  from  the  Harvard  class  of  which  he  had  been  a  member. 
Thenceforth,  until  after  the  battle  of  Antietam,  in  1862,  his  history 
is  that  of  his  company.  When  family  affairs  necessitated  his 
withdrawal  from  the  army,  and  finally  compelled  his  resignation, 
an  excellent  officer  was  lost  to  the  service.  After  the  war  he 
resumed  practice  in  his  profession  in  New  York  City.  He  con 
tinued  to  have  the  liveliest  interest  in  military  affairs,  and  was 
colonel  of  the  Twenty-second  Regiment  New  York  S.  V.  M.  He 
is  at  present  adjutant  general  of  the  state  of  New  York. 

(New  York  Evening  Express,  Aug.  23,  1879.) 

The  resignation  of  Colonel  Josiah  Porter,  Twenty-second  Regiment,  N.  G.  S. 
N.  Y.,  is  a  topic  of  conversation  just  now  in  the  regimental  lines  and  through 
out  the  First  Division,  where  he  has  the  well-earned  reputation  of  being  one  of 
the  most  successful  and  accomplished  regimental  commanders  in  the  service. 

The  colonel  joined  the  regiment  in  1865  as  captain  of  Company  G  ;  was 
commissioned  major  May  10,  1867;  lieutenant  colonel  January  30,  1869,  and 
colonel  October  11,  1869,  since  which  time  the  regiment  under  his  command 
has  made  steady  progress  in  strength,  discipline,  and  efficiency.  Although  he 
has  proved  himself  a  first-class  infantry  officer,  Colonel  Porter's  fame  is  associ 
ated  with  his  war  record  as  an  artillery  officer. 

13 


IQ4  THE    STORY    OF     THE 

Colonel  Porter  is  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  '52,  Harvard  University.  Prior 
to  the  war  he  was  a  member  of  the  Boston  City  Council,  having  been  also  a 
member  of  the  First  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Artillery,  joining  it  at  its 
organization,  and  rising  to  its  command  with  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
most  accomplished  artillerists  in  the  State.  In  April,  1861,  the  battery,  under 
command  of  Captain  Porter,  took  the  field  at  the  first  call  to  arms,  proceeding 
to  Baltimore  by  the  way  of  Annapolis,  arriving  there  on  May  8,  just  in  time  to 
save  the  magnificent  viaduct  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  from  threat 
ened  destruction.  This  was  the  first  important  service  rendered  by  Porter's 
battery.  On  an  adjacent  hill,  above  the  railroad  station,  the  famous  Bouquet 
battery  was  built,  under  the  direction  and  supervision  of  Captain  Porter,  for 
the  protection  of  the  road,  and  here  the  battery  remained  during  the  greater 
part  of  its  three  months'  service,  perfecting  its  gunnery  practice  and  making 
occasional  demonstrations  in  Baltimore  to  keep  the  enemy  in  check.  On  June 
20,  1861,  the  battery  was  ordered  into  Baltimore,  and  formed  part  of  the  force 
then  occupying  the  city. 

On  its  return  to  Boston,  at  the  expiration  of  its  three  months'  service,  it  was 
immediately  reorganized  by  Captain  Porter  as  the  First  Massachusetts  Light 
Artillery,  and  mustered  in  for  three  years'  service.  It  then  consisted  of  six 
guns  —  two  rifles,  two  smooth-bores,  and  two  howitzers  —  and  two  hundred 
men.  Their  departure  from  Boston  and  passage  through  New  York,  on  their 
way  to  the  front,  was  marked  with  great  enthusiasm.  Shortly  after  their 
arrival  in  Washington  a  grand  review  of  cavalry  and  artillery  took  place,  on 
which  occasion  General  Barry,  chief  of  artillery,  complimented  Captain  Porter 
on  the  drill  and  discipline  of  the  battery,  which  he  placed  on  the  right  of  line 
of  twenty  full  batteries  assembled.  President  Lincoln  and  General  McClellan 
were  also  present,  the  President  remarking  to  the  general,  "  That,"  pointing 
to  Porter's  battery,  "  is  the  best  battery  on  the  field." 

When  the  Union  army  advanced  into  Virginia,  Porter's  battery  was 
assigned  to  Slocum's  division  of  the  grand  old  Sixth  Corps,  with  whose 
glorious  record  the  history  of  the  battery  is  inseparably  connected.  It  subse 
quently  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  siege  and  fall  of  Yorktown,  and  in  the 
battle  of  West  Point.  After  the  retreat  of  the  enemy  beyond  the  Chicka- 
hominy  Porter's  battery  took  position  at  Mechanicsville,  within  view  of  the 
steeples  of  Richmond.  During  the  seven  days'  battle  (which  marked  the 
celebrated  change  of  base)  the  battery  had  hot  work  to  perform.  At  the  battle 
of  Games'  Mills  it  was  ordered  to  reinforce  General  Porter's  Fifth  Corps,  and 
at  the  close  of  the  day  was  left  in  an  exposed  position.  Captain  Porter  was 
without  orders  to  retire,  and  held  his  position,  stubbornly  and  alone,  for  an 
hour,  while  the  lines  were  closing  in  upon  him,  and  little  hope  of  retreat  left. 
At  length  the  command  to  fall  back  at  full  speed  came,  and,  after  delivering  a 
parting  volley  into  the  advancing  lines,  the  battery  leisurely  retired  under  a 
fire  which  ended  only  at  the  increasing  darkness. 

On  June  30,  the  battery  participated  in  the  battle  of  Glendale,  or  Charles 
City  Cross  Roads.  Porter's  battery  and  Upton's  battery  of  regular  artillery 
went  into  action  together  on  the  most  exposed  part  of  the  line,  and  did  fearful 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  IQ5 

execution.  The  battery  on  this  occasion  threw  600  shells  and  spherical 
case,  sometimes  within  200  yards  range.  An  attempt  by  a  determined  charge, 
with  massed  columns  of  infantry,  to  capture  the  position,  was  repulsed  with 
great  slaughter,  Porter's  howitzers  making  wide  gaps  in  the  enemy's  lines. 
There  is  a  good  picture  of  this  fight  in  Harper's  Weekly  of  July,  1862.  The 
battle  of  Malvern  Hills  was  fought  next  day,  in  which,  also,  the  battery 
participated.  This  was  the  sixth  of  the  seven  days'  fighting.  Upon  the 
defeat  of  Pope's  army  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  marched  to  his  support,  and 
Captain  Porter  came  up  with  his  battery  after  the  crushing  defeat  of  the 
Second  Bull  Run,  or  Manassas,  or  Gainesville,  as  it  is  variously  called,  and 
subsequently  held  a  covering  position  in  the  works  at  Centreville.  The 
battery  subsequently  took  part  in  the  advance  into  Maryland,  and  participated 
in  the  action  at  Crampton's  Gap,  where  the  Sixth  Corps,  under  cover  of  the 
artillery  fire,  charged  up  the  slopes  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  Following  close  upon 
this  came  Antietam,  where  Porter's  battery  had  position  in  the  open  fields  in 
front  of  the  woods  and  close  to  the  cornfield  where  such  terrible  slaughter 
took  place. 

After  this  battle,  urgent  private  business  compelled  Captain  Porter  to  apply 
for  leave  of  absence,  which  being  returned  disapproved,  with  the  flattering 
endorsement  that  so  able  and  brave  an  officer  could  not  be  spared,  he  was 
forced  to  resign,  and,  turning  over  the  battery  to  the  next  in  command,  returned 
to  Boston.  Subsequently,  strong  efforts  were  made  to  induce  him  to  resume 
command,  but  without  success.  He  was  reappointed  to  fill  the  vacancy 
created  by  his  own  resignation,  but  declined  to  accept  a  commission  requiring 
immediate  service.  His  retirement  was  much  regretted.  It  is  hoped,  for  the 
good  of  the  Twenty-second  and  the  service,  that  Colonel  Porter  will  be  induced 
to  withdraw  his  resignation.  Action  is  being  taken  toward  this  end  in  all  the 
companies  of  the  regiment,  and  by  the  board  of  officers. 


WM.  H.  MCCARTNEY 

Was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  1832.  Was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  practice.  Several  years 
before  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war,  he  was  located  in  Boston, 
diligently  employed  in  his  profession.  McCartney,  during  these 
years,  was  an  active  and  enthusiastic  member  of  military  organiza 
tions,  was  an  officer  in  a  regiment  of  infantry,  and  later  a  member 
and  then  an  officer  of  light  artillery.  He  served  during  the  three 
months  campaign,  in  response  to  the  first  call  for  troops  (75,000), 
as  junior  first  lieutenant  of  the  Boston  Light  Artillery.  He 
seems  in  this  campaign  to  have  acquired  reputation  both  as  a 
disciplinarian  and  tactician  ;  and  immediately  on  the  return  of  the 
battery  to  Massachusetts  was  commissioned  senior  first  lieutenant 


THE     STORY     OF     THE 

of  the  First  Massachusetts  Light  Battery,  about  to  be  raised. 
Lieutenant  McCartney  was  an  energetic,  zealous  officer,  in  charac 
ter  original  and  strongly  marked, —  possessed  of  a  keen  sense  of 
justice.  It  would  have  been  impossible  for  him  to  be  a  routine 
officer.  It  therefore  goes  without  saying  that  popularity  would 
not  be  the  prime  purpose  of  his  life  in  camp,  but  his  ability  was 
conceded  by  all,  and  his  friends  bear  the  strongest  testimony  to 
his  fidelity  to  duty  as  it  presented  itself  to  him.  As  captain  of 
the  First  Massachusetts  Battery,  he  was  recognized  in  the  army 
corps  to  which  that  command  was  attached,  as  one  of  the  ablest 
artillery  officers  in  the  volunteer  service.  He  led  his  company  at 
Fredericksburg,  Salem  Heights,  Gettysburg,  Mine  Run,  1863  ; 
in  the  campaigns  from  Brandy  Station  to  Petersburg  in  the 
spring  and  summer  of  1864,  he  handled  his  command  with 
admirable  judgment  and  consummate  skill.  In  August,  1864, 
the  Sixth  Corps,  having  been  detached  from  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  and  been  sent  to  the  defence  of  the  capital,  it  afterwards 
constituted  a  part  of  Sheridan's  Army  of  the  Shenandoah.  Capt. 
McCartney's  battery  participated  in  the  battles  of  Opequon  and 
Fisher's  Hill.  The  term  of  enlistment  of  the  command  expired 
while  it  was  at  Harrisonburg,  Oct.  3,  1864,  sixteen  days  before  the 
battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  and  it  was  mustered  out  in  Boston,  on  the 
very  day  on  which  that  conflict  occurred.  The  captain  was  then 
made  provost  marshal  of  Boston,  and  before  the  close  of  the  war 
was  brevetted  brigadier  general  of  volunteers.  He  was  prominent 
as  a  speaker  in  the  political  campaign  of  1864,  and  he  was  in  the 
following  year  appointed  collector  of  internal  revenue  for  the 
fourth  district.  McCartney  is  at  present  practicing  in  his  profes 
sion  in  central  eastern  Pennsylvania. 

NOTES. 

RAPPAHANNOCK    STATION. 

Russell's  brigade  consisted  of  the  Sixth  Maine,  Fifth  Wiscon 
sin,  Forty-ninth  and  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Pennsylvania. 
The  first  two,  charging,  seized  the  fort  without  firing  a  gun ;  then 
followed  a  hand-to-hand  fight,  and  in  ten  minutes,  before  the  other 
regiments  of  the  brigade  had  been  brought  forward,  the  Maine  and 
Wisconsin  regiments  had  each  lost  nearly  half  of  its  members. 


FIRST     MASSACHUSETTS     LIGHT     BATTERY.  197 

Then  the  remainder  of  the  brigade,  with  the  survivors  of  the  first 
two  regiments,  who  had  fallen  back,  leaped  over  the  embankments, 
capturing  hundreds  of  prisoners. 

Mention  should  be  made  of  Upton's  brigade  of  the  same  divi 
sion,  occupying  the  left  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  which  charged  the 
Confederate  rifle-pits  on  the  right  (facing  north)  of  the  fort  car 
ried  by  Russell's  brigade ;  carried  them  at  the  point  of  the  bayo 
net,  capturing  1,600  prisoners,  eight  pieces  of  artillery,  and  four 
battle-flags. 

****** 

While  these  events  transpired  at  Rappahannock  Station,  Gen. 
Birney,  in  command  of  the  Third  Corps,  led  the  advance  of  his 
column  across  at  Kelley's  Ford,  where  as  at  Rappahannock 
Station  the  Confederates  had  left  a  force  to  obstruct  the  passage 
of  the  Federal  troops.  While  pontoons  were  being  laid,  Union 
artillery  of  the  Third  Corps,  on  the  north  bank,  were  to  shell  the 
fields  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  thus  prevent  the  reinforcement 
of  this  advance  detachment  of  the  Confederates.  This  they  did, 
and  under  cover  of  the  fire,  a  division  crossed  before  the  bridge 
was  built,  and  a  select  assaulting  force,  consisting  of  Berdan's 
sharpshooters,  Fortieth  New  York  (Mozart),  One  Hundred  and 
Tenth  Pennsylvania,  First  and  Twentieth  Indiana,  carried  the  rifle- 
pits,  capturing  several  hundred  prisoners.  During  the  infantry 
assault  the  artillery  on  the  north  bank  rendered  effective  service. 
This  exploit  of  the  Third  Corps  was  almost  the  last  performed  by 
that  noble  command  under  its  corps  name,  it  being  before  spring 
distributed  in  other  corps. 

NOTE    TO    THE    SECOND    CHAPTER. 

Artillery  duel  at  Mechanicsville.  We  saw  Lieut.  McCartney 
aim  the  guns,  and  saw  the  apparent  result  of  the  shots  as  related 
in  the  second  chapter.  In  justice,  however,  to  Comrade  J.  W. 
Kenney,  then  gunner  in  the  centre  section,  it  should  be  said  that 
his  gun  also  sent  a  shot  with  similar  effect. 


ALPHABETICAL   INDEX. 


Absentees 103,  104 

Alexandria 69 

Andrew,  Gov.  John  A 101 

Antietam 78-80 

Aquia  Creek 69,115 

Army  Corps 27 

Arnold,  Gen.  Richard 35 

Bakersfield 83,84 

Bands 26,  169 

B.  C 42 

Bladensburg 21 

Brown,  John 169 

Botts,  John  Minor 147 

Brandy  Station 138,  139 

Broad  Run 28,  70 

Bridge,  Woodbury's 46 

Bridges,  Pontoon 67 

Brooks,  Gen.  W.  H.  T.     .     .     .      89,  no 

Burnside,  Gen.  A.  E 89,  90 

Bull  Run 28 

Camps  Cameron  and  Revere     .     .    17,  23 
Camps  in  Winter    ....   98,  138,  139 

Capitol  Hill 21 

Cedar  Mountain 170,  171 

Cedar  Creek 170,  171 

Chaplains 65,  99,  133,  146 

Charlestown 169 

Chickahominy      ...     38,  40,  42,  52,  67 

Clifton 169, 171 

Colporteurs 100 

Cold  Harbor     ...     38,  40,  52,  155,  157 
Commissary     .     .     .     .      42,  54,  151,  173 

Crampton's  Gap 76,  77 

Crook,  Gen.    .  165,  168,  169,  176,  178,  179 


Devens,  Gen.      .     . 
De  Peyster,  J.  Watts 


.     .    40 
113,  118 


Duval,  Col. 176 

Desertions 103,  104 

Dranesville 26,  166 

Early,  Gen.  J.  A.  94,  95,  107,  159,  161,  167 
East  Virginia       ...        103,  104,  et  seq. 

Edward's  Ferry 117 

Emancipation  Proclamation      .     .     .100 
Emory,  Gen.  W.  H.     168,    169,    176-179 
Eighth  Corps,  168,  169,  170,  171,  174,  176, 
178,  179. 

Fair  Oaks 39 

French,  Gen.    ...    39,  53,  108,  143,  145 

Fauquier  County 132 

Fauquier  Springs   (sulphur)       .     .     .  135 

First  Corps 27,94,124 

Fisher's  Hill     .     .     .       170,  177,  178,  179 

Fredericksburg 93,  97 

Franklin,  Gen.  Wm.  B.     .     .    .    9,  22,  78 
Fifth  Corps,  48,  52,  124,  143,  144,  149,  151 

Eraser's  Farm 56 

Fortress  Monroe 68 

Games'  Farm 38,  43,  51,  53 

Games'  Mill 5J~53 

Gettysburg,  Battle  of    ....     127-129 
Map  of  Vicinity  .     .     .     Facing  page  127 

Grand  Divisions 89,  90 

Grand  Reviews 21,  149 

Grant,  Gen.  U.  S.  149-151,  153,  162,  163, 
166,  168,  169,  172. 

Halltown 167,  169,  171 

Hancock,  Gen.  W.  S.  .     35,  109,  124,  153 

Harper's  Ferry 77,117,167. 

Harrison's  Landing 66 

Harrisonburg 181 

Heintzelman,  Gen.  S.  P.  .     .      23,  39,  53 


ALPHABETICAL    INDEX. 


199 


Hill,  Gen.  A.  P 57,  94.95,  I24 

Hill,  Gen.  D.  H 61,94,95 

Hoboken  Battery 98,  1 10 

Hoke's  Brigade 138 

Hooker,  Gen.  Joseph  35,  40,   41,   56,  79, 

104,  117. 
Hunter,  Gen.  David     .     .      159,163,167 

"  Inducements  to  re-enlist "   .     .     .     .148 
Irish  Brigade 41,  52,  53,  94 

Jackson,  Gen.  T.  J.  (Stonewall)  48,  50,  56, 

75,  82,  95,  107. 
Johnston,  Gen.  Joe 27,  40 

Kearney,  Gen.  Philip  .     22,  40,  41,  56,  71 

Lander,  Gen.  F.  W 26 

Lee,  Gen.  R.  E.   45,  71,  106,  125,  151,  172 

Leesburg 164 

Lincoln,  Abraham    .     -     .     .      66, 99,  1 60 

Lincoln  Cavalry 22,  23 

Longstreet,  Gen.  Jas.   .     .    55,  56,  94,  143 
Loudon  Valley 85,  131,  164 

McCall,  Gen.  G.  A 26,  46,  56 

McCartney,  Capt.  W.  H.     44,  80,  84,  98, 

no. 
McClellan,  Gen.  G.  B.   22,  56,  73,  80, 89, 90 

McDowell,  Gen.  Irvin 27 

McLaws,  Gen 77 

Magruder,  Gen.  J.  B 33,  35,  55 

Malvern  Hill 61 

Massachusetts  Troops,  32,  35,  38,  109,  122, 

123,  148,  181. 
March  of  the  Sixth  Corps     .     .     .     .120 

Manassas 28,118,136,137 

Manchester 119 

Marye's  Hill 108,  109 

"  Masterly  Retreat  " 48,  66 

Massanutten  Mountains 170 

Mechanicsville 43»  45 

Meade,  Gen.  George  G.    94,  119,  124,  144 

Military  Execution 23,  162 

Mine  Run 144,  145 

Monocacy 74,  160 

Mud  March 101,  102 

Newton,  Gen.  John      .     .     .     22,109,129 

Newmarket 182 

North  Anna  River 154 

Nineteenth  Corps,  162,  164,  166,  168,  171, 
174,  176,  178,  179. 


Occoquon       116 

Opequon 169,  171,  174,  176 

On  the  Peninsula    ....       33,  66,  155 

Pay-day 31 

Pamunkey  River     ....       36,  37,  155 

Peach  Orchard        54 

Persimmons 92 

Petersburg     .     .    . .  .     .     .     .       158,  159 

Platt,  Lieut.  Col.  E.  R.,  U.  S.  A.      32,  75 

Pleasanton,  Gen 107,113 

Porter,  Gen.  F.  J 46,  50 

Porter,  Capt.  Josiah     17,  34,  36,  58,  59, 84 

Ponchas 28 

Pooler,  John 99 

Poolesville 162 

Prisoners,  77,  126,  138,  152,  153,  155,  177, 
179,  183,  188. 

Rations 42 

Raids 155,  159 

Rappahannock  River,    93, 99,  102, 109, 1 10 

"  Station 136 

Ford        138 

Rapidan 142,  149 

Refugees 182 

Reminiscences,     64,  65,  68,  69,  70,  74,  85, 
89,  134,  138,  139. 

Reynolds,  Gen.  John  F 93,  97 

Reno,  Gen 78 

Return 182, 185 

Right  Grand  Division       89 

Rockville 72 

Rodes,  Gen 165,  171,  175 

Rosters 13,  42,  47,  105,  128 

Russell,  Gen.  D.  A 138,  175 

Salem 87 

Salem  Church 109 

"  Scouse " 6g 

Second  Corps      ....      124,  143,  153 
Sedgwick,  Gen.  John    .     39,  in,  112,  152 

Seven  Pines 40 

Sharpsburg 78,  81 

Shenandoah  Valley      ....     165,176 
Sheridan,  Gen.  P.  H.      155,  168,  169,  170, 

172,  189. 
Sickles,  Gen.  Daniel     .     .      106,  107,  122 

Signal  Station 170 

Slave  Pen 31 

Slocum,  Gen.  H.  W.    n,  12,  22,  45,  50,  52, 

59,60,79,  107,  124,  125. 


2OO 


ALPHABETICAL    INDEX. 


Snicker's  Gap 164,  165 

South  Mountain       78 

Spottsylvania 151—153 

Stevensburg 152 

Strasburg 1 66,  170,  178 

Stuart,  Gen.  J.  E.  B 26,  94 

Sutlers 135 

Sumner,  Gen.  E.  V.      .    27,  35,  39,  78,  89 

Tenallytown 72,  166 

Third  Corps 122,  138,  143 

Thoroughfare  Gap 70,  87 

Three  Top  Mountain        .     .     .     170,  177 

Thoburn,  Col 165,  176 

Tompkins,  Col.  Chas.  H.      .     .      129,  175 

Tumbling  Run 178 

Turner's  Gap       78 

Torbert,  Gen.  A.  T.  45,  108,  162, 174,  179, 
177. 

"  Up  the  Valley  " 164,189 

Upton,  Gen.  E.  A.   .       138,  152,  175,  177 


Valley  Road 


Warren,  Gen.  G.  K.  127,  128,  144,  145,  151, 

152,  153- 

Washington 21,72,162 

Westminster 120 

Westover 63 

West  Point 36 

West  Virginia 131 

White  House 38,  53 

White  Oak  Church  ....      93,  98,  99 
White  Oak  Swamp  ....      55,  56,   57 

White  Oak  Creek 56 

White  Plains 86 

Williamsburg 67 

Williamsport 84 

Wilson,  Gen 159,  169,  170 

Wright,  Gen.  H.  G.  127,  128,  152,  162,  164, 

1 66,  1 88,  189. 

Yorktown 33, 60 

York  River 33,  35,  60 


LOAN  DEPT. 


LD  2lA-50m-8,'61 
(Cl795slO)476B 


M181960 


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